The Surface's Shadow
by NinjaFalcon90
Summary: Ike and his followers manage to lead Link out of the underground world to a mysterious world known as the Surface. Although they had never been to the Surface before, due to their dizzy spells and erratic nightmares, Ike and Marth sense that they have more connection to the Surface. Rated T just to be safe. Sequel to Hollow: The World Without a Sky
1. Chapter 1: Beginning

Ike had never heard of the sky. Ever since the moment when he was born, he had been living in an underground city with his best friend Marth. The two bluenettes worked for Bowser's power company. Bowser treated his workers like lifeless items. If they could, Ike and Marth would've quit their current job and look for a better job. Sadly, working in the power company was the only job they could have.

On one fateful day, Ike and Marth discovered Link, a male with pointy ears used as an infinite energy source by Bowser. The poor blond was nearly mentally broken by the company's heartless action. Aided with Samus and their newly-found friends Roy, Fox, and Falco, Ike and Marth planned to flee their home and bring him back to his homeland, a mysterious land that towers above all of the underground cities. They despised Bowser, his selfish and greedy actions, and loyal minions.

After many tiring days of traveling through treacherous tunnels inhabited by the unknown dangers and temporary defeat Bowser's men, Ike and his companions finally made it to Link's world. When he walked out of the dark tunnel onto its land with Marth, Ike was bewildered at his new surroundings. The bright sunlight lightened up the place, making it seem cheerful and lively. The wind gently blew in his face, relieving him of his exhaustion.

"This is a nice place isn't it, Marth?" Ike asked his best friend, looking up at the endless sky.

"Yeah!" Marth answered with a soft smile as he watched the puffy clouds roll through the sky. "I feel much happier for some reason!"

Ike and Marth heard Roy laugh out loud and quickly looked down. Their smiles widened as they watched Fox and Falco chase the beaming Link and Roy in a small game of tag. Color returned to Link's deathly pale face as he inhaled fresh, clean air. His blond hair shimmered and his azure eyes twinkled with happiness as he hastily ran around with Falco hot on his trail.

Samus went by Ike's and Marth's side. "It's nice to see Link free to do what he wants." She said with a calm smile.

"Yes." Ike answered. "He really missed his homeland."

Suddenly, Ike's throat began to tickle crazily. He began to cough up filthy black smoke. In fright, he quickly backed away and cringed. He must have coughed up dirty air from the cities! How was he still alive? No wonder why Link had difficulty breathing!

"Eww!" Marth exclaimed.

"S-Sorry." Ike apologized as he swallowed some spit.

"It's alright." Marth replied. "The black smoke just scared me."

"Yeah…" Ike responded. "Now that I just saw that, how were we able to breathe and live in the city?"

"It probably has something to do with evolution and adaptation." Samus spoke.

"Maybe." Ike said. "That explains why Link couldn't breathe." After being tagged by Falco, Link scuttled back to Ike. He had a smile on his face, yet his worried eyes were not smiling with his grin. "What's wrong, Link?" Link's lips moved, however Ike could only hear a soft mumble. "Did you lose your voice again?"

"N-No." Link quietly answered. While held captive by the power company, Bowser ordered his men to surgically remove Link's vocal cords so he could not protest. "I would like to thank you and your friends for returning me home."

"Is your home around this area?" Marth asked.

Link uneasily glanced around his sunny surroundings. "I don't recognize this area." he softly whispered. A startled chill shot up his spine as he tried to stay calm. "H-Hold on!" he said as he rushed towards the forest.

Ike and the others hurried after Link. "Link! Where are you going?!" Ike asked, a bit startled. "Link?"

Link ignored Ike for a second. Upon reaching the edge of the forest, he climbed up the tallest tree with all of his renewed strength. Once when he reached the top, he nervously glanced around his surroundings. His azure eyes widened in frightening realization. The only things he saw were tuffs of greaves perking from the ground and the stretching sky.

"I don't know where I am." Link softly whispered to himself, the wind blowing against his blond hair.

He carefully climbed down the tree and reunited with his friends. All of them had a worried look on their faces. Why did Link decided to run off suddenly? Did he know how to get back to his home?

"Everyone, I'm sorry." Link uneasily apologized, looking down at the grass with a sad look. "I... I don't know how to get back home. I... I don't recognize this area."

"It's alright, Link!" Samus replied, nodding her head. "We'll guide you back to your home!"

"But... None of you have been here!" Link replied. He began to pace around. "Besides, all of you must be very tired and really want to go back home... I think I can find my way back by myself!"

"Link, you can't!" Fox warned sternly. He pointed up to the sky. The blazing sun was slowly sinking below the trees, turning the sky into a fruity, orange color. "Night is slowly setting in. In the nighttime, dangerous Pokemon will come out!"

"I can defend himself!" Link pointed to his sword, which had an indigo hilt and a flaming blade.

"Then what if you get injured?" Falco asked. "Who would help you?"

"We want to make sure that you'll reunite safely with your friends and family." Ike said bluntly.

Link looked down in guilt. His friends were right... But he did not want to burden them. "All of you are right." he admitted. "But, I don't want to be a burden! Also, I don't want any of you to get hurt too!"

"Hey, that's what friends are for!" Marth replied with a smile.

"We'll be careful." Samus added. "Also, if anything happens, Roy can fix it, right?"

"Yes!" Roy answered cheerfully.

Link nodded in understanding. "Thank you, everyone. Shall we begin our journey?"

"Yes, let's get started!" Ike said.

With that sentence, Fox and Falco began to guide their friends into the forest. However, as soon as his foot stepped into the forest, Ike suddenly felt lightheaded. With a groan, he clutched his head, waiting for the headache to vanish. Marth quickly stopped and worriedly looked at his best friend.

"Hey Ike, what's wrong?" Marth asked, setting a gentle hand on Ike's shoulder.

"I suddenly got this headache..." Ike groaned, gnashing his teeth in pain. "Urk..."

Marth gave Ike a pat on the back. "Don't worry? You must be hungry and tired!"

As soon as Marth said his sentence, Ike's headache suddenly vanished. The hammer that smashed the insides of his head turned into a light pulse and then nothing.

"That's strange..." Ike said, blinking. "It disappeared..."

"That's good!" Marth smiled at his friend.

"Hey guys! What's keeping you up?" Samus called. "It's getting dark! We need to try to find our way out of the forest as soon as possible!"

"Alright! We're coming!" Ike and Marth hurried after their friends, ready to start their adventure.

Meanwhile, Bowser grouchy sat in his office. The entire office was dark, as he wanted to sulk in the darkness. The only source of light was the tiny lamplight that sat on his desk. After learning that Ike and his friends managed to flee with the precious energy source, he was less than happy. He was ENRAGED. Great, now his men had to chase after them. The problem was, Ike and his friends could be ANYWHERE in the upper world. It would take DAYS for his men to find them, if they could learn where they were. Bowser was annoyed by this fact, as he greatly loathed waiting.

With all of his heart, Bowser wished that there was a quicker way to find the pointed-earned boy. He wished that one of the boy's enemies would suddenly appear and offer to retrieve the boy, that is, if the boy had enemies.

Just as he thought of that, his wish was mysteriously granted.

"My, you seem upset." a voice in the darkness suddenly spoke.

Bowser jumped at the voice as he recognized it. "Is... Is that you?"

"Yes, it is me, Bowser." the voice answered. "I've learned what happened recently. Your beloved energy source was stolen, am I right?"

"Yes, by Ike and his friends." Bowser growled in annoyance. "My men are planning to the surface to look for them now but... They currently don't know where had Ike and his partners had run off to."

"I do. Hadn't you forgotten? I come from the surface itself. I know where everything and everyone is. Including where _the boy _lives."

"Really?"

"Yes, I do. Do you not remember? I was the one who informed you and your men about the boy's _secret powers _and his home."

"Oh yeah!"

"I have a great plan. I will go to the surface and try to find the boy's current location while you arrange your men. Once when I return with information, your men shall set off to their journey to recapture the boy. Is that a well plan?"

"That's an excellent plan! I think it'll work! Should we begin now?"

"Yes, we shall." With that sentence, the voice vanished into bright, sparkling rays of diamonds.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: IT'S FINALLY HERE!<strong>

**Welp, here's the sequel everyone(?) has been waiting for! When Hollow was finished about a year ago, everyone was like "Please! We want the sequel!" Just a heads up, this story might be a bit short. It might range around 10-15 chapters. **

**Also, I opened a poll asking which fanfic should I start next. I'm going to allow voters to vote for 3 choices. After a while , I'll delete the choices with the least amount of votes and maybe reopen the poll with the remaining choices. (Man, that was worded strangely!) I kinda want this to fair for everyone. (I know, it does sound annoying.) **

**I don't really know what questions to ask for now so, I'll just wait and see what you guys have to say about the first chapter! **

**PS: I DO NOT own Super Smash Bros. **


	2. Chapter 2: Sparkling Lights

The forest was one of the most mysterious places Ike had ever been to. Towering redwood and pine trees, which seemed to be hundreds of feet high, reached towards the sky, which gradually darkened. Sparkling specks of white began to appear in the sky. The wind was a cool breeze dashing thought he rustling leaves.

"I hate to break it to you guys, but we're probably not going to make it out of this forest sooner or later." Fox said, as tones of murky dark blue shadows began to bathe the area.

"It's best to rest now." Falco added. "We've been traveling for a long time."

"What about the Pokemon?" Roy asked. "They might attack us!"

"I think I'll be fine." Fox replied. "I mean, there's more than one of us."

The travelers decided to rest in a small forest clearing. It was a patch of green grass in the middle of pointy trees. While Ike, Marth, and Samus set their equipment down onto the ground, Fox and Falco made a small fire. Roy stayed close to his older friends, as he was a bit cautious around his new, unfamiliar surroundings. Link paced around, trying to recognize the location, only to fail.

"Are you sure is safe here?" Roy carefully asked, sitting down next to Fox and Falco.

"Yeah, I'm sure!" Fox replied with a smile, opening a can of food. "If anything happens, we'll take care of it!"

Roy nodded in understanding however, he still felt uneasy.

Ike, Marth, and Samus sat next to each other around the fire.

"Hey, where's Link?" Marth asked, looking around for the Hylian.

Samus pointed at a tree. "He's there. Hey Link, come over here!.

Link, who was standing on top of a large tree branch, sighed sadly and quietly to himself. He carefully scaled down the tree and sat down with his friends.

As the sun slowly dropped below the towering trees and turned the sky completely dark, the traveling friends cooked their dinner— canned, preserved food and began to chat.

"Fox, how long will it take us to get Link back to his home?" Ike asked between chews.

"Not really long, maybe a few hours." Fox answered. "Unless if we make a wrong turn."

"I have a question." Marth spoke up. "How is Link home? Where is it?"

Falco awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "To be honest, that remains a mystery to us. We hadn't actually been there before."

"I can tell you if you want to know." Link said. "I live in a castle of a kingdom called Hyrule Castle Town. It is next to a wide lake called Lake Hylia. To be honest, I don't want to give away the details!" Link blushed shyly.

"That sounds nice." Samus commented.

"Yes..." Link replied, before his unhappy voice suddenly fell.

"What's wrong, Link?" Ike asked worriedly. "Are you feeling sick?"

Before Link could answer, he was cut off by Roy's delighted, surprised cry.

"Whoa!" Roy shouted, quickly getting up.

"What is it, Roy?" Falco asked.

"Look at these glowing lights!" Roy pointed to a ghostly yet warm glow of dotted, gold lights slowly floating into the air, towards the dusk sky.

"Oh, these are Illumises and Volbeats." Link said, watching the bug Pokemon harmoniously drift into the air. "They are special bug Pokemon who likes to come out during dusk and find their mates." Link held out a gentle hand, allowing some of the brave Illimises and Volbeats land and sit on it. The Hylian showed it to his friends. "The climate must be well tonight, as many of them are coming out."

"So cool!" Roy gasped, looking at the bug Pokemon.

An abrupt, low hoot startled Ike and his friends, except for Link who stayed calm. He knew the source of the sound. In fright, the Illimses and Volbeats on Link's hand quickly flew away, back to their friends and family.

"What was that?" Ike asked, cautiously looking around his surroundings. Ike's question was followed by a series of softer coos.

"Don't worry, it's just a nest of Noctowls and Hoot Hoots." Link coolly answered. "He pointed to a nest sitting in the dark shadows of the tree branches. Two little Hoot Hoots were sitting in their nest, watching the strangers. A large Noctowl perched next to the nest, diligently looking for predators.

"Whoa, they are big!" Marth whispered.

"Don't worry, they won't hurt you, unless if you hurt them." Link replied.

In awe and bewilderment, Ike could only look around his amazing, tranquil surroundings. The Illimses and Volbeats were sparkling, gold specks gliding in the air. The Noctowl calmly cooed to its offspring. In the corner of his eyes, he saw a few Oddish and Gloom scurry out of the bushes. A tiny Spinarak carefully weaved its web. A small herd of Budew was hurrying through the tall grass back to their home, so they could rest for the night. Like a gentle voice lulling the night to sleep, a wind calmly rustled through the trees.

Ike had never seen anything like this before in the underground world. The scenery was a light in darkness. This was what he, his friends, and the residents of the underground world were missing all along! Because they were isolated in their tiny world, they never knew that such a beautiful sight existed!

Watching his peaceful, impressive surroundings, Ike wished he could enjoy the scenery forever. However, a heavy, feeling slowly draped over him. The feeling was known as sleepiness. Ike yawned quietly as the drape covered his friends, causing them to feel drowsy.

After struggling to stay awake, the travelers eventually fell asleep on the soft, cool grass next to each other. The forest's tranquility lulled them to sleep.

Unfortunately, tranquility could sometimes not exist in the surreal, mysterious, dream world.

* * *

><p><em>Running. That was what Marth was panicky doing. He was being chased by an unknown force through an ominous, dark realm. <em>

_ "What is chasing me?" Marth asked himself, looking behind and trying to identify his pursuers. He could not see anything. All he saw was a pitch black shadow with an ominous aura surrounding it, telling Marth this was something to fear._

_ Strangely, Marth's legs, which were pushing themselves to dash faster, away from the force, suddenly grew heavy, like if he was stepping through cement. Rock-hard bricks were chained around his ankles, slowing him down much to his anguish._

_ "No, I need to hurry!" Marth exclaimed, struggling to stride faster._

_ Marth's struggles were futile. Instead of going faster, he came to a complete halt, leaving him helpless and open to the force, which finally caught its prey._

_ "No, please no!" Marth panicky said, struggling to lift his stone-hard feet._

_ It was too late. The shadow wrapped around Marth and squeezed him, causing him to scream in pain. His lungs felt like they were on fire. Air was shoved out of his body, making Marth gasp desperately for air. His limps suddenly felt as heavy as a large chunk of iron._

_ "No... What is this?" Marth asked himself, unable to move. "What is this sensation?"_

* * *

><p>With a small rustle, reality forced Marth out of the dream world. Groggily, Marth looked around his shady surroundings for the source of the noise. The wonderful, dazzling surrounding that lulled his friends to sleep mysteriously vanished. It was a lamp that turned off. The silvery moon loomed in the sky, its thin rays of light slightly illuminating the dark forest while the stars twitched and sparkled.<p>

Another sudden rustle caught Marth's attention. He quickly turned around and saw a bush shaking wildly. His anxiety rose along with his adrenaline. What was that? Marth slowly stood up, took his sword, and cautiously crept towards the bush, his hands shaking wildly.

Roy, who also heard the rustling sound, quickly awoke. "M...Marth?" he yawned, getting up. "What is that?"

"I don't know." Marth could only reply. "I'm going to find out now. Stay back!"

Roy nodded and watched the azure-hair male sneak closer to the bushes. As soon as when Marth was one step away from the bush, it strangely stopped. It became as silent as the night itself.

Marth stared at the bush before turning around and facing Roy. "Well, there's nothing there." he said.

With a sudden, low hiss, a shadow figure with glowing red eyes leaped out of the forest and lunged at Marth. Roy screamed, "Marth! Look out!"

Luckily, Marth's reflexes were quick. He swiftly turned around and stabbed the figure into the stomach with his sharp sword, which made it vanish into murky, dark purple dust.

Ike and the others quickly awoke. "What happened?!" Ike nervously asked, taking his sword. "Did something happen?"

Marth's answer was cut off by a series of livid growls and hissed.

"We're surrounded!" Fox said quickly, loading his gun.

"By what?" Samus asked. "Pokemon?"

"No, not by Pokemon!" Falco answered. "By...!"

Before Falco could answer, zombie-like monsters with glowing red eyes, dislocated jaws, and an ominous, violet aura circling them lunged out of the woods into the clearing and surrounded the travelers. They were either armed with gleaming, iron weapons or razor-sharp claws.

"By Risen." Falco finally answered.

"What are the things?" Roy asked, staying close to his friends.

"We don't know." Fox answered, keeping his eyes on the monsters. "All we know is, they are some kind of undead warriors. They rarely roam appear in the forest if I remember correctly. But, there seems to be lots of them now! Something must have attracted them here!"

One of the Risen lunged at Ike, who blocked the attack with his sword, knocked it down onto the ground, and ended its life with the plunge of the gold blade. At the moment of that action, the rest of Risen charged at the travelers.

The group began to fight for their lives. As Ike dodged the Risen's attacks and countered the violent actions, Marth warily watched over his and his friends' backs. Fox and Falco ran around in circles, confusing the Risen and waiting for the perfect chance to strike. Samus blasted energy balls at the Risen. She simply kicked those who got too close to her.

_Yet, there was one member who could not defend himself._

A panicked, frightened scream caught Ike's attention. In terror and fear that someone got brutally injured, Ike quickly slashed a Risen with his sword and turned to the source of the voice.

"Roy!" Ike exclaimed.

Roy was cornered by two Risen and a large boulder. His navy blue eyes wide with fear, he cowered against the boulder, wishing that this nightmare would end. The Risen growled hungrily at the vulnerable, defenseless boy, preparing to attack.

"H-Help!" Roy cried out, shutting his eyes close as the Risen slowly went closer to him.

"I'm coming, Roy!" Ike exclaimed as he hurriedly towards the helpless, younger male, only to get blocked by two other Risen. "No, not now!" he hissed under his breath as he quickly blocked their attacks.

Roy could only helplessly watch the two frightening Risen point their gleaming, jagged ax and sword at him, about to plunge the lethal weapon into his flesh.

"Please, no!" Roy exclaimed, covering his eyes as the Risen growled at him. "No!"

"Roy!" Ike screamed as he stabbed a Risen. "Hold on!"

Just as when Roy expected the Risen to plunge their deathly weapon into him and tear the life out of him, there was a sudden _swoosh_, the violent sound of flapping wings, and a clang of an opposing sword blocking the attack. He shakily uncovered his eyes and saw an angel bravely defending him from the Risen.

The angel had chestnut brown hair and a small build. He wore a pure, white tunic, a black shirt and leggings, tall brown boots, and a gold wreath on her head. His indigo eyes were wide with determination as he gnashed his teeth and held the Risen's attack with his gold and purple bow.

"G...Grgh!" the angel said to himself through his gritted teeth. "Can't... Hold... Any longer!"

Roy hastily looked down and saw a long tree branch at his feet. Not wasting a second, he quickly picked it up and swung it at one of the Risen's legs. It was a plunging meteor that impacted its leg, causing it to yelp in pain. This gave an angel an opportunity to throw the other Risen off its feet to the ground violently.

"Go, go!" the angel shouted to Roy, motioning to him to follow him.

Noticing that the two Risen were slowly getting up, Roy hurriedly followed the angel. The two hastily climbed up a tall tree like a Chimchar and cautiously watched the Risen.

"Don't worry, they can't reach us." the angel reassured to Roy, who was shaken from the near-death experience.

Roy sighed in relief and nodded in response.

Ike turned around and spotted Roy with the angel in the tree.

_"Who is that?" _Ike asked himself, not noticing a Risen sneaking up to him from behind.

"Ike!" Marth exclaimed. "Look out!"

As Ike immediately turned around, a midnight-blue haired man garbed in a dark blue coat, white cape, and single silver shoulder plate hurriedly stabbed the Risen in the stomach with a war cry. Ike slightly jumped in surprise at the sudden appearance of the unexpected army. Who was he?

"Let's go now!" a voice yelled. Link's ears twitched at the familiar voice. Could it be him?

A golden-haired, blue-eyed Hylian wearing a green tunic lunged out of the shadows and swung his sword at some of the Risen. Following him was a midnight-blue haired woman wearing a dark blue tunic, a blond-haired man with light blue eyes garbed in a yellow tunic, and a dark brown haired knight garbed in light blue armor.

"Defend them!" the Hylian ordered quickly. "Make sure that there are no more Risen waiting in the bushes!"

"Got it!" the woman quickly said, before turning to attack a Risen.

With the help of the allying strangers, Ike and his friends managed to defeat the remaining Risen. Panting for air, Ike cautiously looked around for any more Risen. His hands were slightly shaking from nervousness. Sweat soaked into his headband.

"Is everyone ok?" Ike finally asked.

"Yeah, I think." Roy answered as he and the angel got down from the tree.

Ike turned to the Hylian. "Who... Are you?" he awkwardly asked.

Before the Hylian answered, Link quickly hurried towards him and cried out, "Father!"

"Link, is that you?!" the Hylian asked in shock, recognizing the voice.

It took the father a few moments to recognize his son. As soon as he identified the young Hylian as his son, he wrapped his arms around Link and gave him a warm hug.

"You're alright!" he said, stroking Link's dirty-blond hair.

"F-Father!" Link began to sob hysterically. He buried his face into his father's shoulder. "Father..." he cried into his shoulder.

"Sh, it's ok." Link's father reassured calmly. "Shhh, Daddy's here now."

"I missed you..." Link softly said, snuggling against his father's body.

Ike was a bit bewildered. That Hylian was Link's father? To be honest, the two hardly bared similarities with each other. While Link had dirty blond hair parted on the left, azure eyes, and short pointy ears, his father had pure gold hair parted in the center, deep, cobalt blue eyes, and long pointy ears. The only things Link seemed to inherit physically from his father were his eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes.

"Erm, who are you guys?" Ike asked again.

Link's father immediately released Link from his embrace. "Not now." he answered. "We'll talk about it later. Right now, we need to get out of here. It's dangerous here in the right. Follow us."

Ike nodded and he and his friends followed the strangers through the forest.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Well, that trip escalated quickly...<strong>

**Here's chapter 2! To be honest, it was a bit hard to write this chapter, since I had no clue what should happen. So, sorry if it's a bit disappointing and suspenseful. In the next chapter, we will learn more about Link's friends and family, Hyrule Castle Town, and ****_one of his enemies. _**

**If you hadn't done so, please check out my poll. Once when chapter 3 is up, I'm going to eliminate two choices that have the least choices, just letting you guys know. **

**Story Questions:**

**What do you think was chasing Marth in his dream?**

**What would you like to see in future chapters?**

**What characters would you like to see in future chapters? **


	3. Chapter 3: Gold Light

After an hour of marching through the forest with the strangers, Ike and his friends ended up in a wide grassland. There, they started a small fire and planned to rest for the night. The blue-haired man and the armored knight vigilantly patrolled the area. The blue-haired woman and the blond man fell asleep next to each other in front of the fireplace. The angel was still awake; he lied down on his back on the cool grass and watched the stars twinkle in the sky. Next to him was Roy, who curiously gazed at the tiny white specks in the sky.

"Hey Pit, what are these things called?" Roy asked the angel, pointing to the specks.

"They are called stars." Pit answered.

At the same time, Samus was tending to Fox's and Falco's injuries, which included a deep cut in the arm, wing, and legs. Finally knowing that he could sleep in peace, Marth took his well-deserved Meowth-nap. Ike was talking to Link's father, who was watching Link freely pace around the site.

"So, you're Ike, am I correct?" Link's father asked.

"Yeah!" Ike answered.

"I must thank you and your friends for bringing Link back." Link's father continued. "I was worried about him."

"You're welcome... Er..."

"My name is also Link. However, you may call me Time. Ever since Link was born, my fellow men had been calling me an Old-Timer!"

"You're welcome, Time!" Ike finally managed to answer.

"I have a question, what exactly happened to Link?" Time asked, a bit stern. "Did his captors do anything to him?"

"Well, he was used as an energy source in a power company." Ike explained. "If you don't know, a power company generates power for the city from where I come from. As a result, Link was greatly weakened and a traumatized. Due to the pollution in the air, he nearly died."

Time flinched at the sentence and looked at Link, who lied down next to Roy and Pit and began to stargaze with the two younger males.

"Luckily, we managed to safe him and get 'em out of there in time." Ike finished.

Time quivered a bit as horrifying pictures raced through his thoughts. "I just can't believe something like this happened to one of my sons..." he said shakily, clutching his fists. Time's face became a deathly pale.

"Hey, are you ok?" Ike asked, setting a hand on Time"s shoulder.

Link overheard the conversation and quickly got up. Seeing Ike trying to support his father, the younger Hylian hurried over and worriedly asked, "Father, are you ok?"

Time quickly recovered from his dizzy spell. "I'm ok, thank you Link."

Link smiled dearly and sat next to his father.

"Well, I know that you're Link's father, Time." Ike spoke up. "But, can you tell me who are these other people?"

"Ah, I should introduce you to members of the Hyrule Castle Guards." Time replied. He pointed to the midnight-haired man and knight. "These two men are Chrom and Frederick, two of the three captains of the royal guards, me being the third. Chrom is trustworthy and a bit easygoing. He breaks the most objects during training. Frederick is strict however, he has a soft side."

Time pointed to the two teens sleeping next to each other near the fireplace. "These two cousins are Lucina and Owain. Lucina is the daughter of Chrom and Owain is the son of Frederick. Although the two are as different as black and white, they get along quite fine."

"How are they different?" Ike asked.

"Lucina tends to be more serious while Owain is a bit rowdy." Time answered, turning to Pit. "This is Pit. He is an angel from Skyworld, a nearby angel-like kingdom near Hyrule. He is childish and a bit shy. Ever since he and Link met when they were little, the two have been best friends."

"I see..." Ike replied. "Can I talk about my friends too?"

"Sure." Time answered with a smile.

Ike began to describe his friends to Time. He told every single detail about them, from the time he met Marth, to Fox's favorite color. As he listened, Time gently cradled Link in his arms, who slowly drifted to sleep. His energy level corresponding to Link's Ike felt sleepiness twirl in his head and make his eyelids heavy.

"Roy knows how to treat people with sicknesses and injuries..." Ike yawned, trying to stay awake. "He... Wants to be a doctor like his father Eliwood..."

Time smiled as he gave Ike a friendly pat on the back. "I think that's enough for today." he said. "You need some rest."

Ike wanted to protest and say no, however his fatigue, a heavy weight attracted to his body, caused him to hesitantly give in. With a drowsy nod, he lied down on the ground and drifted to sleep.

Wanting to patrol the area for any signs of danger before going to sleep, Time gently set Link onto the ground, trying not to wake him up, and stood up. He went behind the two sleeping teens and began to patrol the shady, dark surroundings. Unbeknownst to him, Link had briefly awoken. Shivering due to the source of warmth vanishing into the air, he huddled closer to Ike, who only stirred before setting a soft hand on Link's blond hair. Before Link's subconsciousness enveloped his consciousness, he thought he saw a tiny, weak beam of gold light emitting from the back of Ike's left hand.

* * *

><p>The next day in the morning, the group traveled through the grassland. What seemed to be a never-ending land of green grass led to a kingdom surrounded by a small river, protected by powerful stone walls, and heavily guarded by Hylian soldiers in watchtowers.<p>

"Halt!" one of the guards exclaimed, causing some of the soldiers to cautiously rise their weapons. "Who goes there?!"

"It is your captains, Link, Chrom, and Frederick!" Time shouted back. "We have returned from our mission!"

"Who are these guys then?" the guard suspiciously asked, pointing at Ike, Link, and their friends.

"This is Link and his newly-found friends!" Time began to explain. "They—"

The protective, watchful guard interrupted Time, his eyes full of shock. "Wait, did you say Link?!"

Link's face turned completely pink. He quickly looked away in embarrassment.

"Yes, it is." Time answered. "He has escaped from his captors and returned!"

"Oh my! So sorry!" the guard called back. "I didn't recognize him. I mean, I usually see Link dressed in a green tunic and hat and what not but, oh Hylia! Link's back!"

The guard turned to his fellow mates. "Everyone! Link has returned!" his statement was followed by bewildered gasps.

"Link is back?!" some of the other guards exclaimed. They quickly looked to see if they were not hearing things. "Hoorah! He is back!"

Some of the guards quickly raced down the tower, through the town, towards the castle; excited to inform the others about the news. Joy raced through their hearts. Finally, after many countless days of dreadfully worrying and helplessly hoping for Link's return, he was finally back!

"As I was saying," Time continued. "These strangers are Link's friend. They helped him escape from his captors and bring him back to us. Now, I trust that they will do no harm. Please let them in with us."

"As you say, captain!" the guard replied with a beaming smile.

The guard finally let the drawbridge down, allowing the group to enter the bustling town. It was a bit large to Ike. The two-story houses that lined up with each other were large, made of wood, and painted to match their environment. Fountains splashed crystal-clear water. Children were playing in the grassy fields as the adults were either working or relaxing with their friends.

As he walked down the town with his friends, Ike felt heads turning to look at him. Some of the Hylians were fascinated— or greatly shocked at the sight of the mysterious strangers. Who were they? They certainly were not Hylians, as their ears were not pointed. They also could not be angels, as they did not have wings. Were they aliens from another world? Some of the Hylians quickly looked away and began to whisper to each other, beginning a new trail of gossip.

Link noticed Ike's anxiety and nervousness. "Just ignore them." he said. "They hadn't seen you and your friends before, so they are a bit wary."

"I see..." Ike whispered back. "They are looking at me like if I'm an alien!"

"Don't worry, they'll get used to seeing you." Link replied. "The only humans they had ever seen were Chrom, his sister Lissa, Frederick, Lucina, and Owain. It took them a while for them to adapt to them."

Ike followed his friends to a large vivid garden in front of a looming castle. The garden had lush grass, tuffs of shrubs with tiny colorful flowers, plants with ripe berries, tall trees, and patches of flowers. Combee buzzed and darted around the flower, collecting its nectar. Starly, Pidgey, and Spearows perched in the trees and chirped nosily with them, creating a small melody. Lulled by the bird Pokemon's melody, a Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander slept underneath the tree's cool shades.

As soon as the group arrived at the entrance of the castle, the doors suddenly slammed open. A brunette Hylian occupied by some guards and a blond lady with blonde pigtails garbed in a yellow maid dress quickly entered the scene. Her eyes were a deep blue. She wore a purple and white dress with a colorful crest and gold armor plates. A matching crown with a blue jewel indicated that she was powerful and in high-status.

"Lissa, it true that Link has returned?" she asked in joy.

Lissa nodded her head. "Yeah!"

Noting the brunette, Link timidly stepped forward, grabbing the Hylian's attention. "Princess Zelda, it's... It's me." he shyly said with a small smile.

Trying to hold back her tears of joy, Zelda walked towards Link. "Link... She said, throwing her arms around the blond Hylian and giving him a hug. "You're back...! I missed you..."

"I missed you too." Link softly said back, hugging Zelda back.

After releasing each other from their warm embraces, Link began to introduce Zelda to his friends. Yet, not all of them were fully paying attention. Roy was chatting with Pit. Fox and Falco were whispering to each other. Samus was admiring the garden; she had never something anything like it before. Marth and Ike were the only ones listening.

"Princess Zelda, these are my friends Ike, Marth, Samus, Roy, Fox, and Falco." he said. "They saved me from my captors and guided me back home."

Zelda smiled at the welcomed guests. "Welcome to Hyrule." she said, setting her right hand on Link's left hand.

All of a sudden, a golden, bright triangle shone brightly on the back of _both _Link's and Zelda's left hand. In astonishment and shock, Ike's and Marth's eyes widened. Their different hues of blue orbs were filled with amazement. Hey... They saw that gold triangle on Link's hand before! What was it?

"Did you see that?" Marth whispered to Ike.

"A gold triangle on Link's and Princess Zelda's hand?" Ike whispered back. "Yeah!"

"I saw it before!" Marth replied.

"You only told me." Ike replied. "But still, that was surprising!"

Link's and Zelda's sensitive pointy ears caught the secretive conversation.

"Is there anything wrong?" Princess Zelda asked.

Ike slightly jumped. "Oh, nothing is wrong." he answered. "It's just that, when you and Link held hands, we saw a gold triangle shine on both of your hands! What is it?"

"Oh, it's the Triforce..." Zelda said, looking around the garden carefully.

"The Triforce?" Ike and Marth looked at each other in confusion. "What is that?"

"May we talk about this somewhere else?" Zelda asked. "We would like to discuss in a private area."

"Sure." Ike answered.

As Zelda entered the castle, Link motioned to Ike and Marth to follow him. Looking at each other awkwardly and shrugging their shoulders, Ike and Marth followed the two Hylians.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: I've seen the light!<br>**

**Finally, here's chapter 3. I know, the story's kinda boring now. But, the next chapters will be interesting! It will cover the Triforce, the strange dreams Ike and Marth are getting, and whatnot.**

**BTW, I reopened the poll, only that it has two choices removed. So please check it out!**

**Story Questions: **

**When Ike put his left hand on Link's head, why did a gold light emit from it?**

**Who would you like to see in the next chapters? **


	4. Chapter 4: The Triforce

Link and Zelda led Ike and Marth down the long castle hallways to a large library. Shelves containing hundreds of books towered over their heads. The narrow windows let light glimmer into the space. The rug had many colorful patterns inscribed on it. Dust particles slowly drifted unobtrusively in the air.

After stepping in, Zelda looked to see if anyone was following them and quietly shut the door.

"Are you going to tell us what is the Triforce now?" Ike asked.

"We would like to know." Marth added.

"Yes. The Triforce was a personal, magical treasure of the Hylians." Zelda began. "It was created hundreds of years ago to protect the kingdom from warring forces. Originally, it had three pieces, Power, Wisdom, and Courage. However, during the Great War, it was shattered into pieces."

"What happened?" Marth asked.

"Power-hungry fools managed to discover the Triforce's location, which was a secret, underground temple hidden underneath the castle. They fought over the Triforce, shattering it by accident. The Hylians managed to recover Courage and Wisdom, however Power was lost forever. Our ancestors could not find it."

Link wanted to say something at that point. However, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

_"I know where the Triforce of Power is!" he thought to himself, looking at Marth's left hand._

"Princess Zelda, you said that warring forces wanted the Triforce." Ike spoke up. "Who were they?"

Zelda hesitated before answering. "The forces were two rival kingdoms. According to historical texts, they were fighting over a patch of land."

_"Fighting... Over... Land." _Ike thought to himself, suddenly feeling uneasy.

"This eventually dragged all of the tribes into the war." Zelda continued, oblivious to Ike's nervousness. "The Hylians tried to stay neutral, as if they choose either side, they will get violently destroyed by either opposing force. The Angels, another tribe who decided to stay neutral, allied with the Hylians in case the war worsens. Together, with their strongest magic, they created the Triforce to protect both of their kingdoms. Eventually, the two earring kingdoms discover the Triforce and tried to take its power to use it against each other. Their plan failed, as the Hylians and Angels manage to chase them off."

"Did that end the war?" Marth asked.

"No, it didn't." Zelda answered. "Just as the war turned to the worse, an unexpected plaque wiped across the land, killing millions. This ended the war for good. As lives were taken, the two warring kingdoms, and the other tribes, fled to the mountains for their lives and loved ones . Yet, my ancestors the Hylians, and the Angels, stayed. We resisted the disease and eventually became immune to it."

_"Plaque... Death... Loved ones... Run... Away... Why did I suddenly sense something deathly yet familiar lurking in the air?" _As Ike thought of these horrifying things, he suddenly felt light-headed and fainted next to Marth.

"Ike!" Marth exclaimed in shock, hurrying to his friends' side.

"What happened?!" Link asked, rushing towards the bluenette's side. He felt his forehead. "It's a fever! Princess Zelda, get a healer!"

"No, get Roy!" Marth said. "No wait, get both of them!"

Zelda obeyed and quickly left the library. As she hurried down the hallway, she suddenly slowed down and looked out the window with a sad look.

"I'm sorry, Ike and Marth." the Hylian Princess said, before continuing her way.

* * *

><p>Ike was awoken by a wet cloth wiping across his forehead. With a weak groan, he carefully opened his eyes and looked around his surroundings. He was in a small bedroom with a bed stand, drawer, table, and chair. He spotted his friends standing in front of the doorway, asking each other what happened.<p>

"Ike's awake!" Ike heard Roy exclaim.

Ike watched his friends go to his bedside, a bit relieved and worried.

"You're alright, Ike!" Marth smiled, before it fell and turned into a worried look. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure..." Ike answered, feeling a bit weak. "When I was listening to the story of the Triforce, I guess I couldn't handle the mention of plaques and death and... I guess I fainted."

"Well, the truth can kinda hurt sometimes." Samus spoke up with a smile.

"Yeah, back in our world, there was hardly such thing as a plaque and whatnot." Fox said.

"Well, there were train and work accidents, but they hardly occur." Falco added.

"I suggest you to stay in bed for the rest of the day." Roy spoke up, his voice having a slight tone of sternness. "Just because you feel better doesn't mean you are better."

"Alright." Ike replied.

Roy began to exit the room. "C'mon everyone. Let's give Ike some room."

One by one, everyone left the room; except for Link and Marth, as they wanted to give Ike some company.

"Link, I have a question." Ike said, sitting up in his bed. "Why do you and Zelda have the Triforce?"

"Oh!" Link exclaimed. "Well, after the Triforce was broken into pieces, our ancestors received it. They felt it was saver to leave the Triforce of Wisdom and Courage in their processions. As a result, the Triforce was passed down to their descendants. Zelda has Wisdom, while I have Courage."

"That's cool!" Marth said. "Is that why you can use magic?"

"Yes." Link answered. "However, our magic is limited. If we overuse the Triforce's power, it will drain our physical strength."

"No wonder why were you weak after when we saved you from Bowser!" Ike spoke out loud.

Link nodded sadly in response. "Until the Triforce of Power is found, Zelda and I will protect the Triforce within our hearts."

The sound of a door slowly creaking open grabbed the three teen's attention. Turning to the source of the sound, they saw a little Hylian around the age of twelve. He had large, dark blue eyes; fluffy, bright, yellow hair; and tiny pointed ears. He was garbed in a bright, green tunic over a long-sleeved shirt, leggings, small leather boots, and a matching floppy cap.

"Link!" he exclaimed, scampering towards the older Hylian like a mouse.

With a wide smile, Link gently picked up the smaller Hylian and gave him a huge hug. "Toon!"

"I knew that you'll be back!" Toon said, snuggling against Link. "I knew it!"

Marth awkwardly spoke up as Ike watched. "You're Toon? Are you Link's...?"

"Yeah!" Toon replied quickly with a bright smile. "I'm Link's little brother!"

As he stroked Toon's fluffy hair, Link said, "He inherited most of my father's looks. That why we don't look related."

"My, what do we have here?" an unfamiliar, unsettling voice asked.

As the four looked up at the voice, they spotted a strange man dressed in an odd outfit that resembled a male dancer's. His skin was an icky gray, his eyes were pitch-black, and his straight, white hair was parted to the left. At the sight of the man, Link growled quietly, protectively hugged Toon tightly, and shot a glare at him. Marth and Ike trembled, as they felt a wave of disgust and uneasiness wash over them.

"Ghirahim, what are you doing here?" Link spat out.

"Nothing at all." Ghirahim answered cooly, shooting a chill down Ike's and Marth's spine. "I heard that you returned. I wanted to see if it was true." Ghirahim took notice of Ike and Marth. "Oh, who are you two? Are you Link's friends, I presume?"

"Yes, they are." Link bluntly answered. "Their names are Ike and Marth if you're curious."

"Ike? Marth?" Ghirahim asked out loud in curiosity. "Those names sound familiar... **Is the thread of fate binding them together?**"

His statement was followed by Link's annoyed growl. Getting the idea, Ghirahim turned to leave. "Fine, I am leaving."

After when Ghirahim left, Link sighed in relief. With a worried, scared look, Toon cuddled closer to his older brother. Ike and Marth were shaken by Ghirahim's sudden appearance.

"Who's Ghirahim?" Ike asked.

"That man is a terrible, manipulative man." Link answered, his voice holding a tone of anger. "He is Princess Zelda's advisor. Although some believe he is great at his job, my family and I disagree. Lately, he hadn't been seen at the castle. This makes me suspicious. What is he doing?"

"I don't like." Marth softly said.

"Me neither." Ike agreed. "He creeps me out. Especially when he said something about Marth and me being bounded together by fate."

"Do you know what he meant?" Marth asked.

Link jumped before answering. "Well..." he began nervously, trying to think up of an answer. "I think he meant that he sees how close you two are!"

"Well, if you say so." Ike replied.

Unbeknownst to the teens, Ghirahim was listening to their conversation. With a sly smile, he disappeared into a ray of diamonds before anyone caught him eavesdropping.

* * *

><p>That night, Marth was in the library, curiously browsing through books. Although their words and texts were scribbles and nonsense to the bluenette, Marth tried to understand the topics by looking at its illustrations.<p>

After hearing Zelda's story of the Triforce, Marth was intrigued by the history of Hyrule. He dearly wanted to learn more about the past, from the war, to the present. Sadly, he could not learn much due to being illiterate to Hylian words.

"Well, it looks like I need to ask Link or Zelda to translate these words." Marth said sadly, closing a book.

A sudden knock on the door caught Marth off guard. With a startled gasp, he jumped and quickly turned around. Who was it?! Was it a mischievous ghost of some sort? Link did mention that the castle was haunted by ghosts, but he could be joking. Swallowing nervously, Marth slowly approached the door, his fingers tingling and his stomach fluttering.

"W-W-Who's there?" Marth shakily asked, opening the door. He peered around the shadowy hallway. The glittering moon light shone through the large glass windows. Deformed shadows froze on the walls.

"H-Hello?" Marth asked out loud, his voice echoing down the hallway.

There was a sudden flash of light behind Marth. In jolt, Marth turned around and quickly covered his eyes, which were burning from the abrupt beam of light. He whimpered, hoping that he was not blinded from the sudden ray of light.

The light died down and there was a small thud followed by a chuckle. Wondering who it was, Marth hesitantly looked up before he was blinded by another gleam of light. He heard a small zap before the light vanished into the darkness.

Shaking, Marth looked around and saw no one. Letting his eyes adjust to the darkness, he noticed a dusty, thick-covered book sitting on his seat. Marth raised a suspicious eyebrow. That book was not there a minute ago...

Was he seeing things? Marth slowly approached the book and picked it up. It was heavy, as it had hundreds of pages. He had not read it before... Should he?

Hesitantly, Marth calmly flipped to a random page, before taking notice of the shocking illustration that struck him like a punch in the face. With a small gasp, Marth could only gaze at the image like a deer caught in headlights. After a few moments, he shook out of his gaze, shut the book, and quickly exited the library.

"I need to show Ike this!" he said to himself, trembling uneasily. "What... What is this?! Who is this man?!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: I'm still alive, everyone! Don't worry! <strong>

**Sorry for the late update. Not only I had writer's block, I also strained my wrists. So, I needed to take a break. (Idon'tthinkeveryonemindssincethisstoryhasn'tgottenmanyreveiws.)**

**This chapter pretty much build some background and suspense to future chapters, so hopefully it's not boring all of you guys out. The next chapter will focus on the main story line of this fanfic.**

***PPPPPPst!* Don't forget to check out my polls!**

**Story Questions:**

**Why did Ike faint while Zelda told him and Marth about the story of the Triforce?**

**What (or who) was the beam of light in the library?**

**Who do you think is the man Marth saw in the book? **


	5. Chapter 5: Identical Faces

Ike was lying in bed, trying to fall asleep, when Marth abruptly slammed the door open. Jumping slightly, Ike let out a small, annoyed sigh as he looked at his best friend. Marth's skin was as pale as paper. A single candle light sitting on the nightstand gave his wide, cerulean eyes an eerie glow. Clutched in his jittery hands was a thick-covered book.

"What is it, Marth?" Ike mumbled sleepily and grouchily, sitting up in his bed.

"Ike, I need to show you this!" Marth said anxiously. "It's really important!"

"Why is it important?" Ike asked, rubbing his eyes. "Can you show it to me tomorrow?"

"No, I need to show it to you now!" Marth protested impatiently.

"Fine." Ike replied.

Marth uneasily sat down on Ike's bed. He was a bit scared to show Ike the bewildering, shocking illustration. How would he react? Would he be so dreadfully shocked that he would pass out? Or would he shrug it off and say it was nothing important?

Before Marth could flip to the page, Ike asked, "What's that book about?"

"I'm not sure." Marth answered. "I was in the library, when I suddenly heard a knock on the door. I went to see who was there, and there was no one. All of a sudden, there was a flash of light that blinded me. When the light died down, this book appeared. I opened it, and..."

Marth never got to finish his sentence, as he cringed in fright.

"Did you read something disturbing?" Ike asked, setting a hand on Marth's sweaty shoulder.

"N...No." Marth answered softly. "The text isn't in English. It's in Hylian. I couldn't read it."

"Is it a picture that scared you?" Ike asked again.

Marth nodded yes.

"Let me guess, it was a picture of a horrifying monster!" Ike guessed out loud.

"No, it was a man." Marth answered quietly.

"What about him?"

"I'll show you." With that, Marth hesitantly opened the book to the certain page.

As soon as Ike's cobalt-blue eyes made contact with the page, the two blue orbs widened in astonishment. The illustration depicted a young prince garbed in a royal blue tunic, tall boots, chestplates, and a flowing sky-blue cape. Sitting on his head was a certain gold tiara. A sword was held in his gloved right hand. His azure hair reached his chin. The blue bangs barely reached his matching cerulean eyes.

Ike glanced at the picture of the prince and at Marth, quickly making comparisons. Yes, the two had the same cerulean eyes that matched with their azure hair. Yet, what made things much more shocking was the tiara! It looked exactly the same as Marth's! What was this? Was this some sort of a trick or sorcery?

"Oh my gosh, he looks like you, Marth!" Ike finally managed to speak.

Marth shakily nodded. "Yeah, he does. I'm scared, Ike. I wonder who is this man. He can't be me, even though he looks like me! This book was probably written long before we were born!"

"This is weird." Ike said. "Hair, eyes, even the tiara! Everything looks the same!"

"Well, there is one small difference." Marth said, taking off his tiara and showing it to Ike. "In the picture, the prince's tiara has a blue gem. Mine's doesn't. It was lost."

"We need to have either Link or Zelda translate this!" Ike said. "Do you think they are still awake?"

"Link told me that Zelda is in a meeting, right before I went to the library." Marth answered. "I don't know about Link, though."

"Well, let's find him and ask him to translate the text!" Ike replied, quickly getting out of his bed.

Holding the book, Marth followed Ike around the shadowy, dark castle. It was awfully quiet, as the castle's inhabitants were either asleep or doing their own things. Not knowing where Link's room was, the two bluenettes sneakily peered into each of the rooms, hoping that no one would notice their rude intruding. Among the rooms, they managed to spot Samus slowly falling asleep, Fox and Falco engaged in a long conversation, and Roy reading a book with Pit. However, there was no Link.

"Maybe Link's busy with something." Ike said.

"Could be." Marth replied.

"Let's get some sleep and ask him tomorrow."

Just as when the two bluenettes turned to go back to their bed chambers, a certain silver-haired adviser directly appeared in front of them in a ray of glittering diamonds. Ike and Marth jumped in surprise, preparing to run away.

"My, good evening, Ike and Marth." Ghiarahim greeted, his voice calm and collected. "Why are you two up so late?"

"We were looking for Link." Ike answered bluntly. "Now, leave us alone!"

"My, how curt." Ghirahim replied with a hint of annoyance. He went closer to Ike and Marth. "Tell me, why were you looking for Link? Did you need something from him?"

"Well, we wanted him to translate something in this book." Marth said, hoping that his answer would make Ghirahim go away. The adviser was making him uncomfortable. "Since we can't find him, we're gonna ask him tomorrow."

"Why don't you ask me? I can translate." Ghirahim offered.

Ike and Marth doubtfully looked at each other. Should they let Ghirahim translate? Sure, they could learn about the prince quicker, but what if Ghiarahim was plotting some sort of a trick? He seemed awfully strange...

"Sure." Ike said, opening the book to the page and giving it to Ghirahim. "Translate this page."

"We really want to know who is this prince." Marth said with a hint of want in his eyes.

"Ah, this prince." Ghirahim said with a small grin. "He awfully looks like you, Marth."

"Well, yeah he does." Marth replied with a small huff.

"Isn't it a coincidence?" Ghirahim asked with a hint of trickery in his voice. "His full name is **Prince Marth Lowell**."

Ike and Marth gasped in shock. No, this could not be!

"This can't be..." Marth said, clutching his head tightly. "That prince shares my name!"

"You're kidding! Are you?" Ike exclaimed.

"No, I'm not." Ghirahim answered. "Would you like to learn more?"

Ike swallowed nervously. "Sure."

"Prince Marth Lowell was the Prince of Altea, a kingdom on an island neighboring the mainland. After when his father was killed in war with Crimea, a rival, enemy kingdom, Marth succeeded him, and became a great ruler. He still had the title "Prince of Altea", as he needed to marry in order to become king. Due to war, he never became king, as he spent his final years fighting Crimea along with allies."

"Did he die in battle?" Marth asked.

"No, he didn't." Ghirahim answered. "Just as when the war reached its height, a violent plague broke out. It claimed many victims; one of them happened to be Marth. In just a few days, Marth passed away."

"From what Zelda told us, there were two kingdoms fighting over land." Ike spoke up. "Are the two kingdoms Altea and Crimea?"

"Yes, they were." Ghirahim answered.

"Why were they fighting?" Ike asked. "Why couldn't they get along? Was there something special in the land?"

Before Ghirahim could answer, he was cut off by a certain, angry, blond Hylian.

"Ghirahim, what are you doing?!" Link asked suspiciously, glaring at the silver-haired adviser.

"Nothing, Link." Ghirahim cooly answered with a smirk. "I was just having a small conversation with your friends."

"Yeah, 'small'!" Link sarcastically replied. "You were telling Ike and Marth something, were you?"

"Fine, fine." Ghirahim sighed in annoyance. "I guess I cannot stretch the lie any longer. I was telling Ike and Marth about the past. The two seem very interested in the history of this world. A few minutes ago, they were looking for you to translate the contents of this book. I kindly offered to translate for them. Now that you are here, I guess I am no longer useful in this situation..." Ghirahim suddenly turned to leave.

"Wait, Ghirahim—!" Link started quickly.

It was too late, as Ghirahim teleported away in a flash of sparkling rays of diamonds. With a soft sigh, Link looked down at the floor, his ears drooping. He was too late. Ike and Marth were already intrigued in Hyrule's past. There was no turning back. Besides, since Marth himself already has a _relationship with Prince Marth himself, _he and Ike should learn about the truth, for better or worse.

"Link, are you alright?" Ike asked.

"Yes, I'm fine." Link answered, forcing a small smile.

"Sorry Link, we really wanted to know who this Prince Marth is." Marth apologized.

"Isn't it funny?" Ike spoke. "He has Marth's name and looks exactly like him!"

"I know, it is." Marth said nonchalantly. "...Ike? Marth? Are you two really interested in the past of this world?"

"Yeah!" Ike and Marth answered.

"I really wanted to learn more about your world, Link!" Ike added.

"Well," Link began, unsure how to explain to his friends. "There's something very important that only both of you need to know. However, you can't just learn about it from a book. You need to travel somewhere."

"Where do we need to travel to?" Marth asked.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow in the morning with Princess Zelda." Link answered, a bit stern. "Princess Zelda holds all of the information needed for our travel."

Ike and Marth nodded in understanding, not knowing that a certain adviser was eavesdropping in their conversation.

* * *

><p>Wolf and his men, members of the Anthropomorphic Tribe, were waiting inside the shady, dark forest when Ghirahim approached them with news.<p>

"The plan had just been carried out." Ghirahim said. "As long as fate does its job, your little blond-haired, pointy-eared boy will finally be in your hands."

"So, if you follow your instructions, we will get the boy, am I correct?" Wolf asked.

"Certainly." Ghirahim smiled wickedly. "Just make sure that the azure-haired friend of Ike is in my clutches as well in the end!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: I'm on Spring Break! Woohoo!<br>**

**Sorry that the chapter's a bit short. I just wanted to introduce some suspense into the chapter and the annoying cliffhangers. Hopefully, the pace of the story is going fine.**

**Also, I currently closed the fanfic poll and opened a new poll. If you hadn't heard already, I wanted to start a webcomic based on my fanfics. I did get started on sketching the first comic (Based on Lone Flame.), but I had second thoughts, didn't like the current sketches, and decided to start over. The poll is just asking which fanfic would make an interesting webcomic. Personally, I would really appreciate it if you voted and whatnot. Guests without an account can vote too; just let me know in a review. **

**Story Questions:**

**Do you think Marth is related to the prince?**

**Why do you think Ghirahim wants Marth?**

**Your poll choice? **


	6. Chapter 6: The Woman

"You want to start an exploration with Marth and Ike?" Zelda asked Link the next day. "Why?"

"Ike and Marth are really interested in Hyrule's past." Link explained. "Last night, Marth was browsing through some books in the library and..." Link paused and swallowed nervously before continuing. "...saw a picture of 'him'."

"Him?" Zelda asked in confusion.

"You know, Prince..." Link started.

"Oh, Prince Marth." Zelda answered. She sighed sadly. "I am afraid that there is no other solution. They need to learn the truth."

Link nodded with an unhappy gleam in his azure eyes. "Yes. Now, when can we start an exploration?"

"Tonight, or tomorrow." Zelda answered. "I want Ike and Marth to go to the Divine Dragon Grounds as soon as possible. The sooner, the better. Take today to prepare."

"Yes, Princess Zelda." Link bowed down.

Zelda gave Link an ancient, crumpled map. "Here's a map for your exploration. After the exploration, Ike and his friends need to leave Hyrule as soon as possible." Zelda continued. "It's for their own good. I don't want any of them harmed."

"I understand." Link replied, rolling the map up. "I'll tell Ike and Marth immediately."

As Link quickly left the throne room and strolled down the hallways, he sighed miserably to himself.

"To be honest, I don't want Ike, Marth, and the others to leave..." he said unhappily. "But, like what Zelda said, it's for their own good."

Link paused in his tracks and awkwardly looked around his surrounds. "Speaking of Ike and Marth... Where are they? Oh wait, they went to the bath house."

* * *

><p>While Marth sat in a hot spring and gently massaged soap into his soaking wet hair, he watched Ike pour a pail full of warm water over his body. Ike shivered a bit as the clear liquid rolled down his skin.<p>

The bathroom had several large tubs filled with clear, sparkling water. A few wooden pails sat near the entrance of the room. Smokey steam clouded the air like fog. Open, overhead windows allowed natural light into the room.

"Hey Ike, I had a strange dream last night." Marth said as he rinsed the soap suds out of his blue hair.

"What did you dream?" Ike asked as he got into the tub with Marth.

"I dreamed that I was exploring this ancient castle." Marth explained. "Strangely, everyone felt familiar, even though I had never been there."

"That's all?" Ike replied as he soaped his arms.

"Nope." Marth shook his head. "Later, I met some people. They called me Marth and seem to know me very well. Again, even though I never met them before, I felt that I knew them at one point."

"That is weird!" Ike said, his cobalt eyes full of shock. "It's just like some of my dreams!"

Marth nodded. "I wonder if Princess Zelda approved our exploration."

"Same here." Ike answered. "I really want to learn more about Hyrule."

Marth looked around the bathroom. "Link's world is really interesting, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." Ike replied. As he nodded, water droplets rolled down his indigo hair. "To be honest, I like his world better than ours."

"Why?" Marth asked.

"This world feels more like home for some reason." Ike explained. "When we first entered this world, I felt that I was returning from a long journey."

"Same here." Marth agreed.

Ike carefully stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around his waist. "I'm going to change now. How about you?"

"I'm coming!" Marth replied.

Being careful so he wouldn't slip on the damp ground, Marth cautiously got out of the tub, wrapped a towel around his body, and followed Ike. Strangely, when he set his right foot onto the moist ground, he began to feel dizzy.

At first, Marth ignored it, thinking that it was the cold air. However, as he hurried to catch up with Ike, the top that slowly spun in his head began to whir uncontrollably in circles. His eyeballs suddenly began to ache. With a small groan, Marth kneeled down and tightly clutched his head. What was happening?

"Marth." a small, feminine voice called out.

Confused and dazed, Marth looked up and spotted a woman with long, straight blue hair and cold blue eyes that gazed into his soul. She was dressed in a short red skirt, tall boots, and white breastplates.

Marth blinked and rubbed his eyes. Was he seeing things? Mysteriously, he felt that he saw the woman before...

"Who are you?" Marth asked, a bit scared.

The woman suddenly stepped forward, causing a loud screech to shriek into his ears. Marth grunted and covered his throbbing ears.

"Why are you friends with him, Marth?" the woman sternly questioned, her voice rising in anger.

"Who, Ike?" Marth asked, giving the woman a strange look.

"Yes, him!" the woman answered bluntly.

"We've been friends ever since we were kids." Marth replied. He began to feel nervous. "What's wrong with that?"

"You idiot!" the woman screamed furiously. "You two are supposed to be enemies and never return to the Surface! Don't you remember?!

"Who are you?" Marth softly asked, shivering uneasily. "WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT!?"

Ike heard Marth's loud yell and quickly turned around. "Marth, are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

Marth looked up and saw Ike hurrying towards him. The woman suddenly vanished into thin air. "No." he weakly replied. "I feel really dizzy..."

Ike gently cradled the faint bluenette. "What were you yelling at?"

"This blue-haired woman appeared." Marth began. "She told me that we were not meant to be friends and return to... A place called the Surface."

"That's really strange!" Ike replied.

"Yeah. I also felt that I've known her for a long time, like a distant memory." Marth said.

"Marth, can you stand up on your own?" Ike asked in concern.

Ike released Marth, who unsteadily stood up like a newborn fawn. Marth blinked as the top that spun violently in his head slowly came to a complete stop.

"I guess so." Marth answered with a soft smile. "Personally, I wouldn't worry about it."

"That's good." Ike smiled at his best friend. "Still, I'm keeping an eye on you!"

* * *

><p>After changing into their clothes, Ike and Marth exited the bathhouse. Outside, they met Link, who was waiting for them just at the front of the entrance.<p>

"Hey, Link!" Ike greeted. "Did Princess Zelda approve our exploration trip?"

Link smiled softly. "Yes, she did!"

"That's great!" Marth exclaimed. "So, where do we need to go?"

"Come here." Link led Ike and Marth underneath a towering oak free, which provided a cool shade. The three sat down on the fresh, green grass.

Link opened the map and showed it to his friends. "Alright, this is Hyrule Castle Town." He pointed to a castle at the center of the map. "That's where we are now. Our destination is Mount Prism." Link pointed to a tell mountain northwest of Hyrule.

"Why do we need to go to Mount Prism?" Ike asked curiously.

"I assume that Ghirahim told you two who are the Alteans." Link began to explain. "Thousands of years ago before the Great War, Mount Priam was a popular pilgrimage site for the Alteans. They believed that the god Naga resided there. We are going there because, the Voice of Naga will gives us the answers to Hyrule's past."

"It seems very far..." Marth commented.

"Don't worry, we'll get there quickly!" Link gestured Ike and Marth to follow him. "Follow me."

Link led Ike and Marth to a barnyard behind the castle. The barnyard consisted of a wooden barn, a few stalls, and fenced fields. The sun, a glowing orb in the clear, blue sky, embraced the earth with warmth. As Link guided his friends around the yard, he cautiously avoided eye contact with the chickens, who were pecking the ground for seeds and whatnot. (Link never liked them.)

"Do either of you know what is a pegasus?" Link asked his friends, guiding them to a field.

"I've heard of them in books." Marth answered. "They are horses with wings. But, they are only imaginary creatures."

"Well, do they look imaginary now?" Link asked, pointing at something grazing in the fields.

Ike's and Marth's mouths dropped open in surprise. There, casually pacing around the fields, were several pegasi. While most of them were white, some of them were dark. A few pegasi had a pointed horn on their head, indicating them as alicorns.

"Whoa!" Ike exclaimed in shock.

"I never knew that they were real!" Marth managed to gasp.

"Princess Zelda told me that the fastest way to get to Mount Prism is by pegasus." Link explained, opening a gate. "Do you want to meet some of them?"

"Sure!" Ike and Marth answered, a bit excited.

When Ike, Marth, and Link entered the field, most of the pegasi and alicorns ignored the humans and Hylian. Yet, a chestnut-brown pegasus with a white mane quickly looked up when she heard the three males enter. With an excited, happy neigh, she swiftly rushed towards Link.

"Wah!" Link shouted when the pegasus abruptly ran into him, knocking him onto the ground with a thud. "Epona! I missed you too!" Ignoring the dull ache in his back, Link began to gently stroke his pegasus's mane.

"Epona?" Ike asked. "Is she your pegasus?"

"Yes!" Link answered. "I've known her ever since I was a child!"

"That's neat!" Ike replied. "Do you ride her?"

"Yep!" Link said as Epona nuzzled his blond hair. "I really enjoy flying on her!"

"So," Marth began, looking at the other pegasi and alicorns. "which pegasus should we choose? Which one has the best personality?"

"Most of them have a friendly personality." Link answered. "Try talking to each of them."

Ike and Marth nodded and began to try to talk to the pegasi. The two humans tried everything, from baby-talking to gently stroking their mane. Yet, despite their affectionate efforts, most of the pegasi ignored them and angrily neighed at them in annoyance.

"Man, they aren't as friendly as Link said." Ike sighed sadly.

"I think the pegasi aren't used to humans." Marth responded.

"Yeah..." Ike shook his head.

"Maybe we can ask Link for some— WOOAH!"

Marth was abruptly tackled by a whirl of white. Colors spun around his view and pain explored through his body.

"Marth!" Ike yelled in shock, running towards his friend. "Hey, get off him!"

Marth looked up and saw a pegasus with a blond mane gaze dearly into his eyes. With a loving, soft neigh, she gently nuzzled Marth's forehead with the side of her head.

"Uh, can you please get off me?" Marth awkwardly asked.

The pegasus obeyed obediently and stepped off the bluenette. As soon as Marth got onto his feet, the pegasus went to his side and affectionately looked at him.

Ike laughed. "Hey Marth, I think that pegasus likes you!"

Marth smiled hesitantly. "I guess so." He gave the blond pegasus a pat on the head and suddenly froze. "Uh, Ike? I think you need to look behind you!"

Curious, Ike turned around and spotted a pink-haired alicorn timidly looking at him. Her tail slowly wagged in shyness.

"Oh, well hello there..." Ike said with a small smile, trying not to scare the alicorn. He began to pet the alicorn's coat. The alicorn quietly whinnied in pleasure.

"So, I see you guys found your pegasi." Link spoke, walking towards his friends. Epona trailed behind him.

"Yep!" Marth answered. "This pegasus is really friendly. I think I known her at one point!"

Link paused before smiling at his friends. "Well, that's interesting!"

"Link, I forgot to ask you something." Ike spoke up. "When are we going to start our exploration?"

"Oh yes!" Link exclaimed. "We are going to begin our exploration tonight. Princess Zelda said the sooner we finish our exploration, the better."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Here's some fan service(?). Enjoy you pervs.<br>**

**Welp, here's the the 6th chapter. When writing this chapter, I couldn't decide if the story should include horses (Epona from Legend of Zelda) or pegasi (Fire Emblem). I eventually decided on pegasi, so please don't get angry at me for turning Epona into a pegasus! T.T **

**In the next chapter, Ike, Marth, and Link will begin their exploration. Hopefully, this story isn't boring and whatnot. I mean, I hadn't been getting a lot of feedback and followers on it. (I'm not complaining. I'm just pointing things out, don't worry.) **

**As for the poll, the fanfic More Than It Meets the Eyes has the most votes. Lone Flame and Hollow are tied. (Yes, it includes a guest's vote.) I'm still going to keep the poll up, so please vote if you hadn't!**

**Annoying Story Questions:**

**Who do you think was the lady Marth saw in the bathhouse?**

**Do you think other characters should join the exploration?**

**(You don't need to answer this): Any suggestions on what should happen in chapter 7?**

** Note: I don't own SSB! Nintendo does!**


	7. Chapter 7: Close Call

That night, Ike, Marth, and Link were ready to begin their exploration. They stood outside of Hyrule Castle Town, waiting for Roy and Pit to arrive. (Roy wanted to come along because he wanted to aid them. Pit insisted on joining the exploration because he was greatly curious.) Four pegasi roamed around their owners, waiting for them to mount them.

Link, Ike, and Marth were each dressed in tunics, as Link told them they provide more comfort in traveling. Link was wearing a simple forest-green tunic and a cerulean scarf. Ike was wearing a dark blue tunic with gold trimmings and a dark red scarf. Marth's outfit was similar to Ike's, however his tunic was sky-blue and his scarf was dark blue.

Ike was greatly excited. What would he and his friends discover? He dearly wanted to learn more about Hyrule's past because, for most of his life, he was cooped up in the underground city's tiny bird cage. Now that Ike the sparrow was freed from his restraints, he was allowed to fly freely around the world.

"We're here!" Roy cried out as he and Pit hurried to their friends. The redhead was garbed in an azure tunic and a purple scarf.

"Good." Ike replied. "So Link, are we going to fly directly to Mount Prism?"

"No." Link opened the map and showed it to his friends. "We are going to travel through the forest and rest. Tomorrow morning, we will finish our journey to Mount Prism and return to Hyrule Castle Town."

"Are we going to run into Risen or any dangerous Pokemon?" Marth asked. He was still a bit traumatized by the sudden encounter of the zombie-like monsters.

"I don't think so." Link answered. "The only like roaming around the forest. Still, we must put our guards up just in case." Link turned and mounted Epona. "Let's go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we will return!"

With that, the travelers boarded their pegasi (Flapped his wings in terms of Pit.) and set off to the sky. As his pegasus soared higher and higher into the air, Ike tightly clutched his mount's saddle and held on for dear life. His heart beats increased rapidly as the world below quickly grew smaller. Hyrule Castle Town transformed into a series of geometric shapes and blurs of colors surrounded by green.

"Ike? Are you ok?" Marth asked his friend as he flew next to him.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Ike answered with a convincing smile. "It's just that, I had never been up so high!"

Pit flew next to Ike and Marth. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it!"

"Says the angel." Roy, who was flying behind the three, said mischievously.

Marth and Ike laughed at the redhead's sudden statement while Pit comically scowled.

"Link, you know where we are going, right?" Ike asked.

"Yeah!" Link replied. "As long as I can see where we are going!"

Ike nodded in response and began to look around his dark, yet mystifying surroundings. He chose not to down at the patches of trees, grass, and a tiny pond, but up at the night sky instead. Sparkling, white specks known as stars glittered and danced above his head. It turned the dark realm above into a tiny world filled with mysterious things to discover. Admittedly, he was tempted to fly higher to the tiny world and look at the tiny specks much closer. Yet, he decided not to. His pegasus could only fly so high.

On the other hand, Marth looked down at the earth below. Now that he was up in the air riding his pegasus with his friends, he no longer felt tiny and helpless, like he did when Ike and the others were traveling through the woods in hopes of returning Link back home. He felt powerful, like a god. Every living thing was now insignificant, like dust.

Link, who was riding Epona and reading his map at the same time, immediately looked up as puffs of white fog began to roll in. Like pea soap, it greatly clouded the travelers' visions and began to cause confusion. The cool air slowly dropped; its temperature matched the climate of a freezing rainy day.

"What is this?!" Roy asked, squinting to see where he was going.

"It's fog..." Pit sighed in frustration.

"I can't see through the fog!" Link yelled, hoping that his friends could hear him clearly. "We have to fly down, where the fog's less thick!"

Understanding the Hylian's orders, Ike and the others obeyed and followed Link, who dived down. As the travelers went closer to the earth, the cloudy fog slowly ceased, clearing their visions. The temperature slightly warmed. Ike looked up; much to his disappointment, the fog covered the dancing stars.

"Can you see better, Link?" Pit asked.

"Yes!" Link replied loudly.

"How far are we from our destination?" Marth questioned. The bluenette felt a bit sleepy.

"Halfway through." Link said as he browsed through his map.

Marth nodded and held on, as he did not want to fall asleep and slip off his pegasus.

Ike, who was carefully watching his friends, suddenly got an abrupt, nervous feeling. His body slowly beginning to tremble, he wryly glanced around his surroundings. Why was this? Was there a flying enemy heading towards him and his friends? Ike did not see anything soaring towards them.

"What's wrong, Ike?" Marth asked worriedly.

"I sense that something's wrong." Ike anxiously replied. "I think something dangerous about to happen."

"Something is going to attack us in the sky?" Roy questioned, joining the conversation.

"I don't see anything..." Ike said, shrugging his shoulders.

Wait, nothing in the sky was preparing to attack the travelers, right? The source of Ike's fears and concerns might be at the... Ike looked down at the earth and gasped in horror.

"MARTH! LOOK OUT!" Ike screamed loudly.

Luckily, Marth's pegasus had great reflexes and managed to dodge the swift arrow, which shot up like a sudden flash of lightning. Pit flinched in fright. Roy and Link began to quickly look around for the source of the lethal ammunition.

"W-What was that?!" Marth exclaimed in shock, peering around.

"That was an arrow." Link said, his face turning white as he looked down. "No, it can't be...!"

Through the thick forest, Link saw specks of glowing red eyes glaring back at him. A dreadful aura tugged at his heartstrings, triggering his fight-or-flight response.

"Risen archers!" Pit cried out, feeling adrenaline wash over him. "How do they know that we are here?!"

"I don't know and don't care!" Ike replied, starting to panic. "Link! Do we fight or flee from the Risen?"

"We need to flee!" Link answered, trying to stay calm.

"How?" Roy asked fearfully.

Before Link could answer, he glanced down again and shouted. "Arrows! We must fly up!"

A storm of arrows swiftly shot up towards the travelers. Most of them were aimed directly at both Marth and Link for a strange reason. The pegasi quickly jolted further into the sky and avoided the pointed sticks of destruction, which barely missed them. Pit managed to barely dodge an arrow, which nearly hit his precious wing.

"We need to go faster!" Link said.

"Why?!" Ike shouted. "We can't see! We might crash into something!"

Link's pointy ears, which were more sensitive than his friends' caught a slight echo. "Ike, please shout again." Link ordered.

"Why?!" Ike shouted again.

Link heard Ike's voice bounce back to him. "Everyone, shout as loud as I can. You probably can't hear it, but I can hear your voices echo. This tells me how close the mountains are."

"What about it?" Marth asked.

"There's a small mountain cave located on top of one of the mountains." Link quickly explained. "That's where we are going to stay for the night!"

Pit looked down and spotted the Risen firing arrows at him and his friends. "Arrows incoming! Look out!"

The travelers flew their pegasi higher into the air, where arrows zipped by them, nearly striking them.

"What the—!" Ike exclaimed, panicky looking around.

"Link! The Risen are now armed with Longbows!" Pit shouted, keeping a sharp eye on the zombie-like creatures.

"Shoot, that means they have a higher shooting range!" Link mumbled to himself before yelling. "Everyone! We're close to the mountains! I can hear it! So, fly faster!"

Like quick shooting stars, the pegasi raced through the sky, willing to project their riders. The wind whistled in their ears. This was a matter of life and death! If a single arrow struck them, it was the end!

"The Risen are gathering close to the mountains!" Pit warned in a panicked voice, squinting his eyes to see through the fog.

"Faster! Faster!" Link only exclaimed back.

Hissing lividly, the Risen took their Longbows and took aim at the travelers.

"At this point, if they fire, we'll be done for!" Pit added.

"We're almost there!" Link responded, trying to stay cool. "We need a few seconds!"

"We don't have a few seconds!" Roy cried out, pointing at the Risen, who just released their arrows. The jagged sticks flew up at them in a fury.

"Look! There it is!" Link pointed to a large cave engraved in a mountain. "Full speed everyone!"

Shutting his eyes shut in anxiety, Ike held on to his pegasus, hoping desperately that he and his friends would make it. C'mon, they traveled so far for this and this was how it was going to end?!

"Closer...!" Link spoke through gritted teeth.

_Whoosh! _In a gust of wind, the pegasi zoomed into the save, just in time. As his pegasus came to a complete stop, Ike shakily got off it and turned around. He flinched as he watched hundreds of arrows swiftly zip up into the air.

"That was close..." Marth sighed as he got off his pegasus.

"Yeah, it was!" Roy panted, shakily jumping off his mount.

"Is everyone ok?" Pit asked, looking at his friends for any signs of injuries. His question was answered by a "Yeah.", "Yes.", and a nod.

"That's good." Link said before turning to the pegasi. "Good job, everyone." he gently whispered, giving Epona and the other pegasi a pat on the head.

"Can the Risen reach us here?" Marth asked in concern.

"No." Link answered, giving Epona a small snack. "The mountain is too steep for them to climb. Just relax, ok?"

"Y...Yes." Marth answered, taking a bottle of water out of his bag and offering it to Ike, Pit, and Roy. "Do you guys need some water?"

"Sure!" Pit and Roy answered at the exact time.

"No, I'm ok." Ike answered.

"Are you sure?"

With a wearily nod, Ike turned and looked outside. The fog slowly cleared, revealing the dancing, twinkling stars. Ike's cobalt orbs sleepily gazed at the silvery specks before they slowly closed and brought Ike into the subconscious world.

* * *

><p>"Drats!" Ghirahim yelled angrily at the Risen, who trembled in fright. "We nearly got them! Nearly!"<p>

Ghirahim looked up at the mountains and scowled.

"If it weren't for Ike warning his little friends, Marth and Link would be in our hands now!" Ghirahim exclaims to the Risen, before he began to pace around nervously. "Oh, what should I do now? If I don't return with Marth, he won't be pleased! Without Marth, we wouldn't be able to perform the ritual! Also, Link is the only one capable of defeating **Master**!"

"Did you just mention me?" a low voice growled.

Ghirahim jumped and turned around. He saw a tall, bulky man slowly stomp towards him. Not wanting to stand in his way, the Risen quickly cleared a path for the demon king-like figure.

The demon king had skin that was made of dark scales and bare with gray. A belt and a cape hung around his waist. In place of hair, his head was covered with orange flames. A scar was sliced along his forehead.

"Ah! Master!" Ghirahim exclaimed in surprise. "What a surprise to see you here!"

"Silence!" Demise bellowed. "You failed to seize that little blue-haired prince and demolish that blond Hylian! I wanted to see the prince in our hands and the Hero's body impaled by thousands of arrows! You failed me!"

Ghirahim's face slightly turned pale. "Don't fret, Master! We have allies! They will aid us!"

Demise glowered at Ghirahim.

"They promised to snatch Marth in exchange for Link!" Ghirahim continued. "Does that sound convincing?"

Demise paused for a minute before nodding, much to Ghirahim's relief.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Sorry for the late update! *Gets hit with rotten tomatoes*<br>**

**I finally managed to finish this chapter! Again, hopefully the pace of the story is well and the late updates aren't bothering my readers. I'm currently busy with studying for an important test in May, so don't be to surprise if I suddenly disappear from the earth of the internet. **

**As for the last chapter, welp, I accidentally got Epona's gender wrong! It should be corrected now! Feel free to notify me if I make a mistake! **

**I hope I described Ghirahim's and Demise's relationship correctly. In Skyward Sword, the two were only shown together for a few moments. **

**Also, if you're wondering about the webcomic poll, Lone Flame won. If I get lots of free time, I'm going to quickly sketch the comic as soon as possible. I reopened the next fanfic poll, but I replaced one of the choices, since I felt that it was a better story idea. (I'm going to get flamed for this...) **

**Story Questions: **

**Do you think Marth is _actually _Prince Marth himself?**

**Why do you think Demise wants Link dead?**


	8. Chapter 8: His Eyes

After resting, the travelers continued on their journey first thing in the morning. As they rode their pegasi across the sky, Ike uneasily looked down at the earth, trying to spot traces of Risen. He was a bit paranoid due to last night's event.

"We better be careful." Ike said to his friends. "The Risen might try to attack us again."

"Don't worry, they only come out during night." Link replied with a assuring look.

"How far are we from Mount Prism?" Roy asked.

Pit, who was flying next to Roy, pointed to a mountain with a clear waterfall rolling down its cliffs and a tiny rainbow glittering behind it. Roy looked closer at the mountains and saw an ancient temple sitting on one of its cliff.

"Not very far." Pit answered. "If we fly quickly enough, we can reach Mount Prism in a few minutes."

"Let's pick up the pace." Link added.

Obeying Link's order, the pegasi began to soar faster, increasing their pace. As he gradually went closer to Mount Prism, Marth began to sense an intriguing feeling. It was distant, yet warm and comforting like the presence of a loving family. He wanted to hurry. He wanted to rush into the welcoming arms of the presence and embrace it. He sensed that Mount Prism was a warm, welcoming place.

Ike on the other hand, suddenly felt uneasy and dreadfully worried. He sensed an oppressing feeling lurking in the air. What was it? Was it another bunch of Risen preparing to attack his friends again? No, it wasn't. Yes, the feeling did warn him, but it wasn't alerting him of a dangerous force. It was warning him to turn around and leave the area. Ike trespassed a sacred place, where only the most powerful men could enter. Ike was not a powerful man; he was a simple, common man.

As he and his friends flew upwards towards Mount Prism's cliffs, Ike suddenly felt light-headed. A tiny blender stirred the contents of his head with a loud buzz, making Ike feel nauseous. No, he was not allowed to come to Mount Prism. There was something wrong here! With a small groan, Ike buried his face into his pegasus's neck.

"Ike, are you ok?" Marth asked worriedly, looking at his friend. "Are you sick?"

"No, I'm not sick." Ike replied weakly, looking up. His face was pale with dread and his cobalt eyes lost its lively twinkle. "I just feel... That I shouldn't be here."

"Why?"

Before Ike even got the chance to part his lips and say anything, his eyes fluttered shut as he suddenly fainted. His limp body slowly slid off his pegasus' back and began to plummet towards the rock-hard ground. Ike's pegasus neighed loudly in alarm, alerting his friends that something disaster was happening.

"Ike!" Link exclaimed.

Pit and Roy covered their eyes with shaking hands.

Just as Link was about to dive down, Marth suddenly sped past him like an arrow. "I got him!" he quickly called.

"Please hurry!" Link whispered as he watched.

Grasping the rim of his pegasus' saddle, Marth gnashed his teeth as he dived his pegasus towards Ike. No, Ike couldn't go like this! He needed to discover the truth first! This was not the way it should end!

_Whoosh! _With a graceful swoop, Marth's pegasus managed to stoop down fast enough and catch Ike on its back in midair. Ike landed on Marth's lap. Marth "oofed" and clutch Ike tightly, so he would not fall off again.

"I got Ike!" Marth shouted as he returned to his friends.

"Good!" Link called back. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" Marth tried to explain. "Ike told me that he sensed that he didn't belong here and all of a sudden, he fainted!"

"Did he tell why he felt like that?" Roy asked.

"Well..." Marth began. He softly gasped when Ike stirred. "Ike's waking up!"

Ike groaned softly as he painstakingly opened his eyes and looked around. "What happened, guys?"

"Marth told me that you suddenly fainted." Link explained sternly. "He also mentioned that you feel that's welcomed here. Why is that?"

"I don't know." Ike simply answered. "I just felt that way."

"Everyone, we are close to the peak of Mount Prism!" Pit spoke up, pointed at the small cliff with the temple. "Let's go!"

"We'll talk about this later." Link quickly said to Ike, before taking off to the sky.

Putting Ike's dilemma away, the travelers continued their way up Mount Prism. When they finally reached the peak of the towering mountain, they carefully got off their pegasi and stepped onto the cliff.

Ike looked behind and was amazed by the view. He could see every inch of the forest, which were represented by bushes of green hues. The smaller mountains appeared as rocky spikes protruding from the ground. As he looked at the far distance, the hues began to vanish into the deep blue sky. However, he managed to spot Hyrule Castle Town in the distance by squinting.

"We're finally here..." Link said out loud.

Ike turned around and spotted an ancient temple looming over him and his friends. It casted a deep shadow over them. The temple was made completely out of a pale blue marble. It was slightly ruined, indicating that it was centuries old.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Roy asked, about to enter the temple. "Let's go!"

Pit immediately grabbed Roy's hand, stopping him in his tracks. "No, Roy. Ike, Marth, and Link can enter, not us. They are the only ones allowed."

With a sad sigh, Roy nodded in understanding.

"Ike, Marth?" Link spoke calmly, gesturing to them to follow him."Let's go."

"Right." Marth replied.

Ike nodded in response.

Link led Ike and Marth into the temple. Inside, there were a few columns holding up the ceiling. Large windows let the clear, bright sunlight in, which lit the entire room. A few marble statutes of dragons, great kings, and divine gods were placed against the wall. In the center of the room was a clear spring.

Behind the spring was a sleeping green-haired girl seated in a throne. Her hair shared its hue from jade. Sitting on her head was a gold crown embodied with rare, sparkling jewels. She was garbed in a sleeveless red dress with a velvet, pink ribbon, a matching pink cape, and tall red boots.

At first sight, Ike assumed she was a Hylian due to her long, pointy ears. But his senses told him he was incorrect otherwise.

"Lady Tiki, I bring you visitors." Link spoke.

Tiki stirred as she slowly awoke. Rubbing the sleep out of her heavy eyes, yawned and glanced at the visitors. Her emerald eyes widened in awe as she suddenly recognized Marth. In excitement, her heart began to beat violently, erasing all traces of slumber from her soul.

"M...Mar-Mar?" she asked in disbelief, rising from her seat. "Is that really you?"

Marth began to feel uncomfortable as Tiki slowly went towards him. "Mar-Mar?" he asked in confusion. He suddenly felt nervous.

Tiki looked at Marth from head to toe. No... It couldn't be him! He passed away centuries ago! He couldn't be physically here! He was currently in another world!

Finally deciding that Marth was not a fragment of her dream, Tiki threw her arms around the bluenette and gave him a tight hug.

"Waagh!" Matth exclaimed in shock.

"Marth! You're back!" Tiki cried out, trying to hold back tears. "I knew that sooner or later, you'll return! I'm so happy that this isn't a dream!"

Marth tried to push Tiki away, yet Tiki's grasp was too tight. "I don't know you!" he said, grasping for air.

Ike stepped forward towards Marth and Tiki. "Hey, let go of him!"

With a frightened gasp, Tiki gazed up at Ike in fright and tightly clutched Marth. "Oh Marth! He's right there! Please, don't let him seal me away!"

"What are you talking about?" Ike bluntly asked. "I'm just trying to get you to release Marth!"

"Tiki!" Link shouted, grabbing Tiki's attention.

"Huh?" Tiki asked softly, her eyes filled with confusion. "What is it, Link?"

"These two people Ike and Marth aren't the people you known centuries ago!" Limk explained. "They don't know who are you and what happened during the Great War!"

"Oh..." With an unhappy look in her eyes, Tiki released Marth from her crushing embrace and sadly looked up at him. Lonely emerald orbs met confused azure orbs. "I'm sorry, I thought you were really him. I mean, you had his name and nearly looked exactly like him!"

"It's ok." Marth smiled warmly at Tiki, making her blush. "So, your name is Tiki?"

"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce myself." Tiki replied. "My name is Tiki. I am the Voice and daughter of the deity Naga, the leader of the Divine Dragons. Why are you three here?"

"We are here to ask you some questions about the past." Ike answered.

"Wait, hold on..." Tiki cautiously went closer to Ike and stared into his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Ike asked, feeling a bit uneasy.

"You have his eyes." Tiki abruptly stated. "However, they are filled with the will to protect, not vengefulness. I trust that you are not him."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Ike asked. "What is this?"

"I am sorry for confusing you." Tiki apologized sincerely. "What do you two what to ask me?"

"May you please tell us every detail about the Great War that occurred in Hyrule?" Marth asked, a bit stern. "We want to know what happened and those involved in it."

"Ah, the Great War." Tiki answered calmly. "Sit around the spring please."

While Ike and Marth sat down in front of the spring, Link stayed behind and sadly looked away.

"The Great War began when the ancient kingdom Altea went into conflict with their rival kingdom Crimea. The entire war dragged all of the neighboring tribe into it. They were forced to side with either kingdom. The war reached its climax when Altea and Crimea tried to claim the Triforce, a powerful treasure owned by the Hylians. They failed in their mission, and the war ended when..." Tiki sighed miserably at the depressing memory. "...When Prince Marth passed away due to a sudden illness."

"Can you tell us who was Prince Marth?" Ike asked. "How did he rule his kingdom? Why did his kingdom went to war against Crimea?"

Tiki frowned unhappily. "Prince Marth... Unlike his father, he ruled Altea with both his heart and mind, not with force. He was a kind-hearted person... I miss him dearly..." Tiki sniffed as she tried to blink away tears.

"Wait, this doesn't make any sense!" Marth spoke up, a bit confused. "If Marth was a kind ruler, then why did he start a war against Crimea? From what I heard, Altea and Crimea were fighting over land. Was it an act of dominance?"

"No, it wasn't. It was an act of peacekeeping." Tiki answered.

"Peacekeeping?" Ike and Marth looked at each other in confusion.

"The land Altea and Crimea tried to claim for themselves wasn't just any land." Tiki began to explain. "The land had an ancient alter, known as the Dragon's Table."

"What was special about the Dragon's Table?" Ike asked. "Did it have some sort of a power?"

"No, it didn't." Tiki answered solemnly. "It was where the Earth Dragons were sealed."

"Why did both Crimea and Altea want the Dragon's Table?" Marth asked. "Did they want the power of these Earth Dragons?"

"Yes, Crimea wanted the power of the Earth Dragons." Tiki answered. "If I remember correctly, their corrupted leader wanted their power to get revenge back at the Alteans. Upon hearing the news, Prince Marth was willing to do anything to prevent the destruction of his kingdom and the world."

"Destruction of the world? That escalated quickly." Ike commented. "So, the Earth Dragons can destroy the world?"

"Yes. Long ago, centuries before the Great War, the Earth Dragons allied with the Demons and attempted to conquer the world in darkness. The Demons were masterminds pulling the Earth Dragon's strings. The Earth Dragons kidnapped hundreds of men, women, and children and took them to the Dragon's Table, where they fed on their souls and turned them into Risen, soulless humans with a taste or violence and followers of the Earth Dragons. Luckily, ancient heroes joined hands and defeated the Demons and Earth Dragons. All of the Earth Dragons were sealed away in the Dragon's Table, while most of the Demons were slaughtered with the heroes' blades."

"Most?" Marth asked. "Not all of the Demons were killed?"

"Yes." Tiki looked down sadly. "Some managed to flee and vowed to revive their master Demise and the leader of the Earth Dragons Medeus."

"Are the Demons still around today?" Ike asked.

"I do not know." Tiki answered. "The reason for that is, after the surviving Demons fled, they were never seen again. There is no physical description of them. However, I sense that Demise is revived."

"How come?" Ike asked. "Is it because we entered Hyrule?"

"No, I sensed his return after the Great War." Tiki looked into the spring and blinked, trying to straighten things out. "I don't know how he was revived... But, I'm glad that Medeus didn't return... For now..."

"What do you mean, for now?" Marth asked.

Tiki's stern eyes glared sharply into Marth's eyes. "In order to release Medeus from his seal and return his powers to him, the embodiment of Prince Marth's soul must be offered to him at the Dragon's Temple. Medeus will consume Prince Marth's soul to renew himself."

"So?" Marth asked curiously, raising an eyebrow. "Is the reincarnation of Prince Marth somewhere in Hyrule?"

"Yes, he is." Tiki curtly answered. "Actually, I am looking at him now."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: DUN DUN DUN! Another evil cliffhanger!<br>**

**I finally managed to finish this chapter. Sorry if there's too much dialogue in here. I couldn't describe a lot of things in this chapter. Hopefully, this chapter answered a lot of questions. In case if you're confused about the timeline, it is:**

**The heroes defeat the Earth Dragons and Demons The Great War Present.**

**Hopefully, that will help. ^^**

**As for my future stories, I decide to try to tackle both stories. Yes, I'm going to try to work on two fanfics at once. I opened another poll asking who should be the serial killer (Ike or Marth.) in the maybe-horror story, so please check it out!**

**Story Questions:**

**Do you think Ike is related to the Crimean leader who fought against Altea?**

**Sooner or later, Demise and his Demon followers will finally get their hands on Marth. Any suggestions on how? **


	9. Chapter 9: Triangle

Shocked, Marth's face turned white as his cerulean eyes began to widen in bewilderment and confusion. Marth tightly clutched his azure hair and looked at his feet. No, this couldn't be! This could not be true! But then again, Marth did look nearly identical to Prince Marth.

Ike could not accept Tiki's abrupt statement. His best friend, a reincarnation of a legendary prince?! This was hard to believe! For a long time, Ike simply viewed Marth as a close friend. Tiki could only look at the stunned Marth.

"Are you joking?" Marth uneasily asked, looking up at Tiki.

"No, I'm not joking." Tiki answered sternly.

"Is it because I coincidently look like Prince Marth?!" Marth asked again, unable to calm down. "Or is it because I have his name?"

"No. Those are not the reasons why you are the embodiment of Prince Marth's spirit." Tiki set a gentle hand on Marth's left hand. "Let me see your hand, please."

Marth nodded, allowing Tiki to take his hand. Tiki shut her eyes and began to mumble words. Her words were not understandable, as she was speaking in an old, ancient language used centuries ago. Marth and Ike could only look at each other, confused and not understanding what Tiki was doing. Link, who was still standing behind the two and watching the scene, looked down at his left hand with a sad, distressed sigh.

When Tiki finished chanting the mysterious, ancient language and opened her eyes, a glowing, fragmented piece of a gold triangle suddenly shone on Marth's left hand. Marth gasped loudly and gazed at the shape in amazement. Wait, this could not be! He could not have it!

At the same time, the Triforce of Courage glowed on the back of Link's left hand. Unlike his friends however, Link was unfazed, like of he was expecting this to happen.

Much to Ike's surprise, a tiny piece of a gold triangle weakly shimmered on the back of his left hand. "What the—" he gasped, looking at Marth's shining hand. "Marth, your hand! I mean, our hands!"

"I know!" Marth exclaimed. "Tiki, is it what we think it is?"

"Yes." Tiki replied, admiring the gold triangle shining on Marth's hand. "This proves that you are the incarnation of Prince Marth's spirit. During the battle over the Triforce, Prince Marth and the leader of Crimea shattered the entire Triforce start. As it fell, the Triforce of Power shattered into a large piece and a small piece. To his favor, Prince Marth managed to seize the larger piece and tried to use it against the Crimean leader, only to get chased away by the Hylians and Angels. The piece of the Triforce of Power isn't passed down by blood. It is only shown in the hands of Prince Marth's spirit."

"Wait, if the Crimean leader got the smallest piece of the Triforce of Power," Ike started, looking at the tiny glowing shard on his hand. "then what is this?! Is this the smaller piece of the Triforce? If so, why do I have it?!"

"That is the smaller piece of the shattered Triforce." Tiki clarified. "Why do you have it? The answer is simple. You are the embodiment of Prince Ike, the ruler who led Crimea."

Ike's cobalt eyes we're as wide as eggs. "Wait, Prince Ike? He was the ruler of the kingdom Crimea, right? H-How was he?"

Tiki looked down at the spring sadly. "In his youth, Prince Ike was an intelligent, protective ruler who would have been a fine, kind ruler. However, a tragic event in his late childhood shattered his personality."

"What happened?" Ike asked.

"His father, the previous ruler of Crimea, was assassinated." Tiki explained. "A crest from the Kingdom Altea was found on the deceased king's body. Upon discovering this, Prince Ike vowed to get revenge on Altea. He did anything that it takes to destroy a kingdom, even if it meant destroying the world."

"Geez, that's insane..." Ike looked down.

"I assume that both of you had dizzy spells and even fainted at least once, am I correct?" Tiki's question was answered by Ike's and Marth's nods. "The soul of Prince Marth and Prince Ike are trying to warn you. They are telling both of you to leave this world immediately."

"Why?" Ike asked.

Link quickly looked away and shut his eyes, trying to hold back tears.

"The Risen, Medeus's followers, will do anything to capture Marth." Tiki explained. "They want to revive their leader."

"Where can we go?" Marth asked.

"The safest place for both of you to stay is your birthplace." Tiki answered. "Or Hollow, as we call it."

"If it's for the best for Hyrule and us, then we'll leave as soon as possible!" Ike replied bravely.

Marth nodded in agreement.

As Ike and Marth rose and turned to leave, Tiki quickly stopped them.

"Wait, before you two go, I need to give something to Marth!" she exclaimed.

Marth paused and turned to Tiki. "Yes, what is it?"

"I want you to have this!" Tiki reached into her dress pocket and took out a shiny, clear, aquamarine gem. It was a fragment from a crystal-clear sky. "Before he left for battle, Prince Marth gave me this gem as a gift! It was part of his crown!"

As Marth was given the blue gem, he examined the jewel before taking off his tiara. Marth's tiara nearly looked like a gold hairband. It was embroiled with tiny sapphire crystals. At the middle of the tiara, was an empty space for a missing jewel.

Blinking, Marth took the blue gem and placed it into the empty spot. The gem was a perfect fit. Marth set his tiara onto his head and blinked.

"Marth..." Tiki softly started. She suddenly embraced the bluenette. This time, it was was not as tight as the first embrace. "It's really you..."

With a small, warm smile, Marth embraced the manakete back.

* * *

><p>Mounted on their pegasi, the travelers flew back to Hyrule. Unlike Roy and Pit, who felt accomplished and glad that their adventure was coming to an ending, their older friends Ike, Marth, and Link were a bit quiet and solemn.<p>

Ike and Marth were a bit dazed and stunned. They could not believe that they were connected to Hyrule's past! So, that was why they were feeling dizzy and faint and a golden light emitted from their hands!

However, they also felt different, conflicting emotions. While Marth was willing to accept the truth, Ike was still in denial. He and Marth couldn't have fought against each other in another life! Ike couldn't imagine it! If he and Marth were fated to be enemies in a past life, why were they friends in this life?

Ike looked ahead and watched the sun slowly drift across the sky, towards the hills in the distance. His surrounds began to change its hues as the light slowly began to die out. He then looked at his friends. He smiled slightly at Roy and Pit, who were talking loudly. The two were lucky; they still had their innocence. However, his grin fell when he looked at Marth and Link. Marth, who was flying in front of him, was looking directly ahead him. He refused to talk to anyone. Link, who was flying next to Ike, looked down with a sad look.

"Hey Link, are you ok?" Ike asked the upset Hylian.

"I'm fine." Link forced a tiny smile before it fell. "It's just that, I'm somewhat upset."

"Is it the story of the past?" Ike questioned.

"No." Link began to explain. "It's the fact that you, Marth, and the others have to return to Hollow, your birthplace. To be honest, I've never had friends like all of you. Pit and Toon were technically the only friends I had during childhood."

"What about Lucina and Owain?" Ike asked again. "Aren't they your friends?"

"Lucina and Owain..." Link sighed. "They and their parents were a bit mysterious. They suddenly arrived at Hyrule one day. I assume they came from another world."

"Maybe Hollow?" Ike suggested.

Link shook his head. "I don't know. I never asked them. Ike, when you and your friends leave, I'll miss you dearly."

Ike nodded slowly. "Me too. To be honest, I don't want to go back to Hollow. I like it here better."

"Why?" Link asked.

"It's because, this world feels more like home." Ike explained. "It's where we originated from. I don't like Hollow. There's something I don't like about it... Maybe it's not as lively as Hyrule, the Surface?"

"Yes." Link agreed.

Unbeknownst to Ike and Link, Marth was listening to their conversation. A heart-retching feeling began to swell in his heart. Like Ike, he also wanted to stay in Hyrule. However, due to being the incarnation of Prince Marth's soul, he was in danger of being captured by the Risen. In order to prevent the destruction of this world, he needed to return to Hollow with his friends.

Yet, his friends dearly wanted to stay in Hyrule with Link, who did not want his new-found friends to leave. Marth was conflicted by his emotions. Should he riskily stay in Hyrule for the satisfaction of his friends, or leave for the sake of the future?

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Mar-Mar...<br>**

**Finally, here's the 9th chapter. Personally, I think that this story is a little more than halfway done. Oh yeah, I also got a review telling me that Ganondorf has the Triforce of Power, not Ike and Marth. I don't mean to sound rude, but this is an AU fanfic. You can play around with canon facts and whatnot. **

**Just a question to ask you guys: Do you think I start on another fanfic? I think it's interesting, since I've trying to finish this story as soon as possible so I can start on another. I'm still considering this.**

**Story Questions:**

**Where do you think Chrom and his family originated from?**

**Do you think Marth is going to stay in Hyrule or return to Hollow?**


	10. Chapter 10: The Prince's Knights

Marth uneasily paced around his room. His jagged shadow on the walls imitated his movements. A small, lit candle, the only source of light, was a waving orange flower.

Upon returning to Castle Town, Ike grudgingly told Link that he and his friends will leave to Hollow tomorrow morning. As he heard his best friend say that sentence, Marth could sense the remorse in his voice. Like his friends, Marth did not want to leave. He wanted to stay in Hyrule, and enjoy the bright sunlight, dreamy landscapes, and the free, blue sky, the qualities Hollow did not have.

But, if he stayed in Hyrule, he would risk getting kidnapped by the Risen. This would contribute to the end of many lives, as the Risen would use him to revive their leader Medeus!

Marth sighed loudly, flopped onto his bed, and looked up at the blank ceiling. However, his friends could protect him! He also knew how to defend himself! Besides, as long as he stayed behind the protective castle walls, the Risen would have a frustrating, hard time to capture him!

But, that might place a burden on his friends and the residents of Hyrule... Marth looked at the nightstand, where the mysterious thick-covered book was sitting. He got up and opened the book, turning to the page with Prince Marth.

What would Prince Marth— or his past life's self do? Marth sat back down on his bed and thought. Princes were meant to succeed their father's roles when the time was right. Although they had loyal allies, they could not be selfish. Their role was to protect the people!

Looking at the illustration of Prince Marth one more time, Marth closed the book and set it onto his bed. He rose as he finally made his final decision.

He decided to leave, as he felt that Prince Marth would do that to protect his people, even though it would leave them helpless without a ruler. That was what princes were supposed to do, sacrifice their needs to protect their beloved kingdom.

Before departing, Marth dressed in a black, shadowy cloak in hopes to blend in his dark surroundings. After packing his things in his backpack, Marth quickly wrote a short note to Ike and set it on his nightstand, next to the candle. Sure that he was ready for his trip, he put on his backpack and silently left his room.

Marth's cloak blended in with the hallway's dark shadows. As sneaky as a fox, the bluenette slipped on his hood and quietly yet quickly strolled down the hallways. Although he assumed that everyone was asleep, his senses told him to slow down and make sure no one was watching. However, Marth ignored his feelings, as he thought they were trying to convince him to stay.

_Yet, his senses were right. A certain redhead silently watched Marth flee from the castle._

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Ike was quietly lying in his bed trying to fall asleep. Yet, his rowdy, loud thoughts refused to let him drift to sleep. They tried to convince Ike to stay! Deep in his heart however, Ike denied them. He and his friends needed to leave! They were supposed to leave after returning Link to Castle Town! In efforts to soothe himself to sleep, Ike rolled onto his right side and watched the little flame on the candle wave eerily.<p>

Just as when Ike was about to finally wall asleep, a soft yet sudden knock jolted his senses awake. With a grumble, he shouted, "Yes?"

Link quietly entered Ike's room.

"Sorry to wake you up." he said.

"It's ok, Link." Ike sat up in his bed. "What do you need?"

"Princess Zelda wants to perform a ritual with you and Marth." Link explained. "Before you and your friends leave, she wants to try to extract the pieces of the Triforce of Power from both of you."

"Now?" Ike asked.

"Yes." Link said, leaving Ike's room. "Tell Marth and meet us in the throne room."

As soon as when Link left, Ike quickly dressed in his casual clothing and left. His footsteps echoing down the dark hallway, he approached Marth's room. Although there was a silent, calm atmosphere surrounding the hallway, Ike felt that something was wrong. Hesitating for a few moments, Ike shakily reached for the door handle and turned it.

"Hey Marth, sorry for waking you." Ike spoke out loud as he entered Marth's room. "Princess Zelda really needs to— Marth?"

Marth was nowhere to be seen. At first, Ike thought that Marth temporarily left his room to use the bathroom. However, that innocent thought diminished when he noticed a small written note sitting on the nightstand. The last time Ike checked, the note was not there. Maybe he...? Feeling fear slowly filling his heart, Ike took the note and read it carefully. The note read:

_Ike, I'm sorry. If you're reading this now, I'm in Hollow. I understand that you and the others really want to stay in the Surface. Because I'm the incarnation of Prince Marth's spirit, I need to leave, or I'll risk getting kidnapped by the Risen. _

_I know that you guys are required to leave with me, but please stay in Hyrule and live happily with Link and his family! I know that you guys are much happier living here, not in Hollow! Don't worry about me! I'll just live out my days in Hollow! I'll take care of myself!_

_Marth _

Ike's fearful suspicions came true. Tightly squeezing the note, he continuously reread the writing, hoping that he was just seeing things. Sadly, the words were set in stone. Marth departed to Hollow moments ago.

"Why...?" Ike could only say, in total shock. He felt horrible. Just because Marth was the reincarnation of a prince did not mean he needed to live away from Hyrule! He didn't deserve to live without his friends!

_"I need to alert the others!" _Ike thought to himself. He quickly exited Marth's room and hurried to the throne room.

Link and Zelda, who were waiting for Ike and Marth, quickly turned at the sound of the doors suddenly slamming open. Ike hastily entered the room, his face white with panic. Clutched in his hands was Marth's note.

"Ike, what's wrong?" Zelda asked worriedly. "Where's Marth?"

"Marth fled from Hyrule!" Ike answered, trying to calm down.

"He did?" Zelda replied. "Why?"

Ike showed Zelda and Link the note. "Because he is in danger of being kidnapped by Medeus's followers, he left without us. He knew that the rest of our friends and I don't want to return to Hollow. Marth just wanted us to be... H-Happy without him..."

"Without him, we can't perform the ritual and unite the Triforce..." Zelda sighed. "However, that does not matter now! Since Marth left on his own, he is in danger! The Risen can easily capture him!"

"Do you want us to find him and bring him back?" Link asked.

"Yes." Zelda answered. "Mount your pegasus and fly directly to the entrance of Hollow. If you find him, bring him back as soon as possible!"

"Yes, we understand." Ike replied.

"Ike, let's bring the others so we can find Marth quicker, ok?" Link suggested.

"Great idea!" Ike smiled at the Hylian. "Let's get the others!"

* * *

><p>Strolling down the dark, frightening forest, Marth carefully looked around for any signs of Risen. The Noctowls' bellowing hoots echoed into the never-ending darkness, sending a shiver down the bluenette's spine. The surrounding trees' jagged branches seemed to be reaching for Marth, ready to grab ahold of him. There were no glowing Illimises and Volbeats and singing Kricketunes, making Marth feel awfully lonely.<p>

The abrupt, hoarse screech of a Murkcrow caused Marth to jump and cautiously look around. He shakily pulled his sword out of his sheath and peered at the shadows, monsters that took the appearance of shades of gray. His cerulean eyes widened as he tried to stand the torturous pressure.

"W-Who's there?!" Marth asked out loud, trying to stay brave.

Marth's question was answered by the sound of something crawling on the trees' branches. Sensing something dangerous, Marth looked around for one last time and hurried away. His running feet loudly thumping the ground, Marth looked behind him for any danger. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest as the air whizzed in Marth's azure hair.

Finally, Marth's legs gave out of him, causing him to collapse onto the forest floor and gasp loudly for air. His chest feeling tight and his mouth feeling as dry as a dessert, Marth dizzily looked around the forest. All he could see were shapes, silhouettes, and tones of gray.

Marth sat against a tree and shut his eyes in exhaustion. A sudden ray of gold light caused him to snap his eyes open.

Marth watched the Triforce of Power shine on the back of his left hand. As he gazed at it, his tears of frustration blurred his vision, depicting the jagged, gold triangle as a blur of gold before its light finally died out.

Unable to hold in his tears, Marth finally let his water flow out of his cup. He began to weep quietly to himself, feeling ashamed that he, the reincarnation of a great prince, was crying. Princes did not cry! They withstood their pain and agony for their people with a hopeful smile!

_"Out of all the people who could've been the incarnation of Prince Marth's spirit, why did it have to be me?" _Marth asked himself, blinking his tears away. _"I just wanted to live normally with my friends!" _

A rustle from a bush snapped Marth out of his thoughts. Wiping his tears, Marth quickly took out his sword and readied himself for battle. What was it? Probably a group of Risen! If that was so... Marth immediately gotta his feet and prepared to flee.

"A-Ah!" a voice exclaimed from the bushes. "Stupid thorns..."

"What the—" Marth started. "Is that...?"

Marth's question was answered by Roy clumsily tumbling through the bushes. The redhead ungracefully fell onto the ground with a thud.

"Roy!" Marth exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?!"

"I was looking for you!" Roy said as he got up.

"You saw me escape from the castle?" Marth asked.

"Yeah!" Roy answered. He went up to Marth and sternly looked at him. "Marth, why did you run away?"

"I can't stay here." Marth explained, walking away from Roy. He turned his back against him. "I need to go back to Hollow, or the Risen will capture me and use me to revive their leader Medeus!"

"Wait, Medeus?" Roy asked in confusion. "Who is that?"

Marth told Roy about the history of the Surface, from the Demons' and Earth Dragons' defeat by the heroes, Prince Marth's and Prince Ike's war against each other, and their relation to him and Ike. Upon finishing, Roy did not seem to be shocked. However, he was a little bewildered.

"That's why I need to leave." Marth concluded solemnly. "If I stay in Hollow, you, Ike, and the others can enjoy living on the Surface without any worries."

"Marth..." Roy softly began. His eyes narrowed into a serious glare. "You know what, Marth? I'm coming with you!"

"Eh, why?!" Marth completely did not expect Roy to say that. "Don't you like it here?"

"Yeah I do, but I don't want you to be alone for the rest of your life!" Roy replied.

Marth was speechless.

"When we arrive back home, you can live with me and Dad!" Roy continued. "That way, you won't be lonely!"

"Roy, you don't need to come." Marth replied. "I'll be fine knowing that everyone else is better off without me!"

"I'm still coming!" Roy protested.

"Why?" Marth asked.

"Because, I'm your friend." Roy concluded with a hopeful smile. "That's what friends do."

Marth was a bit stunned by Roy's answer. "Well..." he started. He smiled back at the younger male. "Let's go, Roy."

Roy quickly trailed Marth and the two were about to head deeper into the forest when the sound of wings flapping caught their attention. The two male's quickly froze.

"Who's there?!" Roy whispered to Marth.

"I'm not sure..." Marth softly replied.

"Marth! Roy!" Ike exclaimed as he landed his pegasus.

"Ike?!" Marth shouted in surprise as he and Roy went towards Ike. "Were you looking for us?"

"Yes." Ike set both of his hands on Marth's shoulder, which tensed up. "I'm taking you two back."

"No, Ike." Marth calmly disagreed, gently shoving Ike away. "I need to return to Hollow for the safety of Hyrule. Roy wants to come with me."

"Marth, don't." Ike protested, his voice rising.

"Look, you heard what Tiki told us!" Marth argued. "If I stay here, the Risen will try to kidnap me and use me to revive Medeus! I'm doing this for the sake of the future!"

Marth clutched his fists. Roy and Ike could only watch.

"I'm just trying to be Prince Marth, or you can say my past self." Marth continued. "I'm leaving to protect the things I love."

"Hey, princes don't run away from danger!" Ike retorted calmly. "They don't flee from their kingdoms and leave them without a leader! Marth, do you want to neglect your friends?"

"I don't want to burden you guys." Marth responded.

"Friends are supposed to stick up for each other!" Ike explained. "Technically, that makes the others and me your knights! We fight for each other until the end!"

Marth could not argue against that statement.

"Marth, please return to Hyrule!" Ike continued. "If anything happens, we will always be there to defend you!"

"Ike..." Marth spoke quietly. He looked at Roy.

"Hey, even though I can't really fight, I'll do my best to protect you!" Roy said. His vow did not sound like a lie.

"Roy..." Marth looked at Ike and suddenly embraced him. Ike returned the embrace. "Ike, I'm coming back."

Roy hugged the two older males. For that moment everything was peaceful...

"Well, what a heartwarming scene." a dark, sneering voice suddenly spoke.

Clutching each other protectively, the three teens looked at the source of the voice. They spotted Wolf and his men surrounding them.

"N...No..." Ike could only say in fright.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Ike fights for his friends...?<br>**

**Well, I'm glad that I could upload this chapter! had a problem with uploading files a few hours ago, but it seems ok now! **

**Just a quick note that there might be slower updates. I have a few tests coming up in school and I would like to take more time studying than writing. **

**Also, I just uploaded a new fanfic. It's called the Price of Respect, so please check it out if it seems interesting!**

**Story Questions:**

**If you were Marth, would you stay one the Surface, or return to Hollow?**

**What do you think is going to happen in the next chapter?**


	11. Chapter 11: Flee

As Wolf's men slowly closed in on them, Ike could only protectively clutch Marth and Roy and carefully watch his enemies. He was about to shout to his friends to quickly board his pegasus. Yet, as soon as she noticed the surrounding enemies, the pegasus quickly flew away, up to the sky with a frightened, panicking neigh.

_"Crud!" _Ike thought to himself.

"What do you want from us?!" Roy asked out loud, trying to sound brave.

"Is it Link?" Marth added, glaring at the men. "He's not with us!"

"It would be nice if this 'Link' was here." Wolf answered, drawing his gun and pointed it directly at Marth. "But, since there is only three of you here... I want Marth."

Marth's face turned white. "M-Me? Why?"

"Let's say we made a deal with someone known as Ghirahim." Wolf explained. "He promised that if we captured Marth, he would give us our precious energy source, which was wrongly stolen by your friends."

"Wh-Wha?!" Roy exclaimed.

"Ghirahim's one of the remaining demons Tiki told us about!" Marth explained. He began to shake in anxiety. "I knew that there's something suspicious abut him!"

"You'll never get Marth and Link!" Ike shouted bravely in determination.

"Really?" Wolf replied mockingly. "What are you doing to do now?"

Roy looked behind him and noticed a large gap in the wall of Wolf's men. "Guys! We can run!"

Ike and Marth looked behind themselves and gasped. There was a chance to run! They must act fast, or the window of freedom is closed!

"We... We're going to RUN!" Ike abruptly shouted.

With that, Ike, Marth, and Roy sped through the gap like a certain blue hedgehog, accidentally knocking over some men in the progress. As they ran deeper into the forest, Ike looked back and watched Wolf's mean shout and glance around in confusion.

"What are you waiting for?!" Wolf yelled furiously. "Get them!"

The game of wolf and sheep began. No matter how hard and quick they ran, Wolf's men were always behind Ike and his friends. Blurs of shadows whizzed pass them as they panted hurriedly for cool air. Their mouth quickly dried up while their legs were pulsing in exhaustion.

"They're still behind us!" Marth gasped out, panting.

Sweat rolling down his face, Ike looked behind him. "Yes, they are!"

"What do we do?" Roy asked.

Ike quickly tried to think of something. Hmmm... Should they fight? No, they were outnumbered! Hide? No, they was not a place for them to hide! Try to reason with them? No, that definitely would not work! Wolf and his men are willing to do anything to get their hands on Marth!

"Guys...?" Marth suddenly spoke up.

"Yes?" Ike replied quickly. "Do you have an idea?"

"Yeah!" Marth answered. "Just... Just let them have me."

Ike's and Roy's eyes widened in shock and disgust.

"No, we aren't!" Roy protested.

"Please, I don't want both of you to get hurt!" Marth quietly fought back.

"Still, we aren't going to let them get you!" Ike replied, trying to encourage Marth. "Don't you remember? We are your knights! We are supposed to protect you!"

That statement struck Marth like a bolt of lightning. "Ok!" he bravely said.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Link and Pit were flying over the forest, looking for any signs of Marth. The trees were represented as patches of gray leaves. The large, looming moon and the tiny, innocent stars were the only things lighting the way.<p>

"Do you see anything?" Pit asked.

"No!" Link answered, before sighing. He gave Epona a gentle pat on the mane. "I'm worried! What if Marth already got captured?"

"Look at the bright side!" Pit encouraged. "Marth might be still out there!"

"I hope so." Link smiled hopefully at the angel.

The sound of flapping wings made Link and Pit turn around. They spotted Ike'a pegasus panicky hurry to them, neighing wildly in alarm. Epona, the only member who understood Pegasus loudly neighed back in worry.

"A pegasus!" Pit gasped, flying towards her. "It's not injured..."

"Not just any pegasus!" Link said as he took a closer look. "It's Ike's!"

"Ike's?!" Pit exclaimed. "Oh no, what if he got attacked?!"

"Stay calm." Link quickly ordered before turning his attention to Ike's pegasus. "Do you know where Ike is?"

The pegasus instantly flew to the opposite direction, neighing. She hoped that Link could understand her. Luckily, Link got the message.

"Ike is over there! Let's hurry!" Link commanded to Pit before flying after Ike's pegasus.

Samus, Fox, and Falco carefully hiked through the forest, looking for any signs of Marth. As Fox and Falco called the bluenette's name, Samus warily watched for danger. The forest was a treacherous wildness during the night. Anything could hide in the shady bushes and wait for the perfect moment to attack.

"Marth? Marth!" Fox called, his voice echoing into the forest's shadow. "Do you guys see him?"

"No, I don't." Falco sighed.

A sudden chill shot up Samus's back. Shaking slightly, she quickly looked around, her blonde hair waving in the air. "Something or someone is watching us..." she said quietly, taking a gun out of her pouch, which hung over her shoulders.

"Where?" Fox asked, peering around for danger.

Before Samus could answer, she was interrupted by a livid hiss, which came from the bushes. "Over there!" she shouted. "Get ready!"

With their weapons drawn and prepared for battle, the trio carefully watched the Risen leap out of the the bushes with a livid hiss and violent snarl. Dark purple smog that smelled like rotten eggs gushed out of their mouth. A ghostly, dark, spine-tingling filled the area as the Risen circled their preys.

"That's strange..." Samus cautious spoke, keeping an eye on the undead.

"What is it?" Falco asked.

"Is it just me, or do these Risen seem to be much stronger?" Samus asked.

"You're not the only one." Fox answered, preparing to pull the trigger. "They seem to have a more powerful energy around them."

As Falco gazed sharply at several growling Risen, he noticed a mysterious figure snickering at him and his friends while standing behind the wall of death with another group of the undead warriors.

"Who's that?!" Falco asked in shock, pointing at the figure.

Samus and Fox quickly looked at the direction Falco was pointing to. "T-That's—!" Samus started, unable to finish her sentence due to her disbelief.

Ghirahim chuckled softly before turning to the Risen standing by him. "Now, I want you all to find the little hero Link, or better, Marth." he ordered.

With a hasty grunt, the Risen hurried away from the scene and dashed into the forest. They were eager to please their master.

"As for you guys, please dispose those little flies." Ghirahim calmly ordered. "We can't have them buzzing around Marth, warning him of the danger."

A few Risen nodded before turning their attention to Samus, Fox, and Falco.

"He's Princess Zelda's advisor, isn't he?!" Fox whispered quickly to the others.

"Yeah, he is!" Falco hissed back.

"I knew there was something suspicious about him!" Samus huffed.

Ghirahim turned away, and listened to the Risen's lifeless groans and low hisses. "It's a shame that I can't watch my beloved pets tear apart these wastes of flesh..." he said quickly to himself before teleporting away in a flash of diamonds, just as the Risen lunged at Samus, Fox, and Falco.

* * *

><p>Marth panted loudly as he dashed through the forest with Ike and Roy. Wolf and his men were still hot on their trail, much to their angst.<p>

"I... I can't run any more..." Marth wheezed, his face pale with exhaustion and fright.

"We have to keep running!" Ike quickly replied. "I sense that Link and the others are nearby! Hold on!"

"There's too many!" Roy panted quickly, looking back at Wolf's men, who were gaining on them. "They are catching up with us!"

"I have an idea!" Marth suddenly said.

"What is it?" Ike asked as the wind whizzed in his ears.

"Why don't we split up?" Marth suggested. "We can confuse them!"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Roy carefully asked. "They can just gang up in you, Marth!"

"I think it's worth a try!" Marth replied with a hopeful smile.

"Ok, if you say so." Roy replied.

"What do you want us to do?" Ike asked.

"We'll run in different directions." Marth explained as quickly as he can. "Once when we lose Wolf and his men, we'll meet at the front of the forest, got it?"

"Got it!" Ike answered.

"I understand!" Roy replied with a small wink.

Wolf and his men's eyes widened in confusion and bewilderment as their three targets suddenly split up, running in separate directions. As Marth turned to the west towards the swampy part of the forest, Roy made a sharp right turn and continued to run deeper into the murky forest. Ike continued to run north.

"What the— They are splitting up!" one of the men shouted in alarm.

"Where did Marth go?!" another man exclaimed.

"I think he went to the left!"

"No! The little redhead ran to the left! Marth went to the north!"

"Hold on, stop!" Wolf boldly shouted, stopping his men in his tracks. "A third of you go to the east and north! The rest of you follow me to the west!" he ordered.

"Yes sir!" some of the men said, before parting in separate directions.

* * *

><p>His footsteps squishing on the moist, muddy ground, Marth inhaled and exhaled softly as his gradually slowed down. Licking his parched lips, he turned around. Did he lose Wolf and his men? He spotted beams of glowing lights jolting around the area, patrolling for their prey.<p>

"Do you see him?!" a voice shouted.

"No, I don't think he's here!" another voice answered.

Marth breathed a sigh of relief, however his confidence did not last long.

"Check over there!" the glowing lights flashed at Marth, causing him to gasp loudly. Panicking, Marth began to run deeper into the forest.

Marth did not worry where he was going. Al he cared was getting away from his enemies! His friends, or knights, were not there to protect him! Oh, he should've stayed at Hyrule, instead of trying to leave on his own!

As the incarnation of the Prince's Spirit dashed the swamp, the Woopers and Mudkips hiding in the little ponds watched him, wondering what was happening. A few Roselias sleeping in the bushes were awoken by Marth's squishy, loud footsteps. A Weepinbell that moved in his sleep accidentally slipped from its branch and fell on the ground with a sudden thud, startling Marth. Marth began to panic. Was that Wolf's men?! Marth looked behind him as he ran deeper and deeper into the soggy, mild swamp.

Not paying attention to what was in front of him, Marth accidentally stepped on something. It let out a high-pitched squeal and a growl. Wondering what he stomped on, Marth looked down and spotted a Bulbasaur.

In self-defense, the Bulbasaur suddenly puffed toxic, cloudy, thick powder at Marth. As Marth began to cough hysterically, trying to expel the poison out of his system, the Seed Pokemon hurried away.

"I hear something over there!" Marth softly gasped at the yelling voice.

"He must be over there! Hurry!" a second voice shouted.

Marth tried to flee from the incoming men however, he began to strangely feel light-headed and exhausted. His legs felt as heavy as fifty pounds of lead. His chest felt tight, making it hard for him to breathe. Marth's azure eyes began to water due to the powder stinging his eyes.

With a frail groan, Marth collapsed onto the ground, just as when one of Wolf's men shone his flashlight on him.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: I'm back, everyone! <strong>

**Sorry for the late update. I had an important test in school, so I took the time to study. And yes, I just have to torture you guys with another cliffhanger, lol. /gets hit by pie**

**I don't really have much to say about this chapter. I want to say that the story is about 75% completed, but it seems too soon... Also, I'm coming down with a case of writer's block, so I'm having a little bit of trouble writing the chapters. So don't be too surprised if there's a slow update.**

**Story Questions:**

**What do you think is going to happen in the next chapter?**

**Should Ike and others should return to Hollow and reunite with their friends in a future chapter? **


	12. Chapter 12: Royalty

"He's down!" Wolf's men shouted as they hurried towards Marth. Each of them was holding thick ropes, ready to capture the bluenette. Marth could only helplessly watch his enemies inch closer to him. His survival instants shrieked at him to quick get up and flee. Much to his aghast, his entire body felt as weak as a newborn kitten. It could not carry its own heavy weight, with shared the weight of a large slab of iron.

As Wolf and his men surrounded him and grabbed him by the arms and legs, Marth weakly struggled in resistance, trying to make it difficult for them to bind him. Yet, his efforts were futile, as the toxic powder greatly weakened his system.

Ropes tightly coiled around Marth's wrists and ankles, restraining him from any movement. He let out a small, pained cry as the knots were tightly tied.

"L...Let me g-go!" Marth shouted as his captors, trying to stay brave as he struggled against his bindings. Yet, if Wolf listened and looked closely enough, he could fear shaking in Marth's voice and defeat glittering in Marth's frightened, cerulean eyes, which lost their bright, hopeful sparkle.

"Why should we let you go?" Wolf asked with a dark tone. He cupped Marth's chin and lifted it up, so he could look at him directly in the frightened eyes. "We wolves always chase after the sickly, weak lamb. We never show mercy."

Wolf's men snickered at their leader's sentence, causing a shiver to judder down Marth's spine. Unable to fight back and defend himself, Marth could only gaze soullessly into Wolf's cold eyes.

He realized that he just failed his duty as being a prince. Now that he was in his enemies' hands, his own soul would be devoured to revive Medeus, thus ending the peace in Hyrule and beginning a reign of darkness and terror.

Marth quietly sighed and shut his eyes in defeat. A tiny tear rolled down his pale cheek. He failed to protect his people from his enemies, as they would use his own precious soul to their advantage and success. If he was not bounded with coiling ropes, he would fight his way out, like any true prince.

Unbeknownst to him, his piece of the Triforce of Power began to shimmering dimly on the back of his bounded, left hand.

"What's that?" one of Wolf's men pointed at the source of the glowingly gold light.

In response, Wolf took a closer look at Marth's hand.

All of a sudden, a blast of gold light erupted from Marth's hand. It shot towards the sky and sliced through the darkness like a knife. Not expecting the beam of light, Wolf and his men shouted in surprise and hurried back into the shady bushes in panic. What was that?! Was that an intentional magic attack?!

The ropes binding Marth slowly charred away as the light continued to jolt up the sky like a lightning bolt. Marth gritted his teeth in pain and exhaustion. He breathed in and out so quickly, he feared that he may faint.

"Somebody... Please help..." Marth managed to say weakly.

* * *

><p>Ike, who managed to slyly outrun and flee his enemies, was wandering aimlessly around the forest, when a sudden shower of light grabbed his attention. Gasping softly, he immediately looked at the source of the abrupt light and watched the gold flare erupt through the black sky.<p>

_"Marth!" _That was the first thing Ike thought of. Picking up speed, he began to hurry towards the explosion of light. Something must've happened! Was Marth injured? Captured? Trapped somewhere? Whatever happened, Ike dreadfully needed to get to his friend quickly! This was serious!

_"Hold on Marth, I'm coming!" _Ike thought to himself.

"Ahh!" Pit exclaimed as he shield his eyes from the blast of light with his eyes. Link squinted his azure eyes and quickly looked away from the blinding explosion. The two pegasi neighed loudly in surprise, thinking that it was a strange magical attack aimed at them.

"What was that?!" Pit asked, looking at Link with an amazed look.

"It's some kind of light magic!" Link answered. Nervousness settled in his stomach, causing it to turn and twist. "I sense the aura of the Triforce surrounding it..."

"It might be Ike or Marth!" Pit piped up. "They might be in trouble!"

"Let's hurry!" Link quickly said. Pulling on Epona's reins, he hurried towards the distant flare of gold, with Pit and Ike's pegasi trailing him.

The Risen hissed in painas the gold light shined in their sensitive, glowing, red eyes. Purple smoke began to form out of their mouths like saliva as they quickly looked away. With a confused "Hmmm?" Ghirahim rose an eyebrow as he turned and spotted the bolt of light in the distance. His lips eventually curved into an evil smile.

"That light in the distance... Can it be Link... Or Marth?" Ghirahim asked out loud.

His question was answered when the sound of a pegasus's wings flapping hurriedly reached his ears. Ghirahim looked up and spotted Link mounted on Epona shoot through the trees like an arrow. Being the tired, lazy bees, Pit and another pegasus trailed them, though they were still going quite fast.

"It is Marth. Link is coming to his rescue, like the little hero he is." Ghirahim said as he motioned to the Risen to follow him. "His heroic rescue will shatter, however."

* * *

><p>Surrounded in gold light, Marth felt his stamina slowly drain out of his body. Sweat rolled down his forehead as he tried his hardest to repel his enemy away and endure his exhaustion so his friends could rescue him. He was carrying a heavy, powerful bomb over his shoulders. He needed to stand in order to live. If he were to collapse, everything would go off for him. His future, life, and loved ones, everything would be destroyed with a bang!<p>

Much to Marth's anguish, the light began to dimmer along with his strength to go on.

"N-No..." Marth managed to huff. "Please... I need to..."

The light slowly died down. Its only remain was the Triforce of Power shimmering weakly and dully on Marth's left hand. His gray, tired, cerulean eyes looking at the glowing triangle, Marth inhaled and exhaled loudly before fainting in exhaustion.

Wolf and his men blinked and rubbed their sore eyes. Before Wolf could order his men to grab Marth, he was cut off by a sudden voice.

"Marth!" Link shouted as he landed on the ground. He rushed towards the unconscious male and kneeled down next to him.

Pit and Ike's pegasus landed next to him. "Is he ok?" Pit asked worriedly.

"He is unconscious." Link answered, about to pick Marth up. "Help me carry him onto Ike's pegasus. Let's go back to Hyrule as soon as possible!"

Just as when Link began to carefully pick up Marth, the sound of a gun loading stopped him in his tracks. Pit jumped and looked at the source of the sudden noise.

"Stay still, and no one will get hurt." Wolf cooly warned, pointing his gun at the three teens.

"Oh, it's you." Link said, as he, Pit, and the two pegasi slowly backed away from Wolf's men. Wolf and his men were slowly closing in on them.

"Didn't you hear me?" Wolf sharply asked, his eyes narrowing into a glare.

Wolf fired his gun, which went off with a load bang. Although it intentionally missed them, Link and Pit jumped. Epona neighed loudly, while Ike's pegasus flinched.

"I said stay still!" Wolf finished harshly.

"My, Wolf, don't do that!" Ghirahim said as he suddenly appeared at the scene with his growling Risen. Pit quickly drew out his bow, while Link protectively clutched Marth in his arms. "You don't want hurt Link and Marth, am I correct. However, I suppose the angel and the pegasi don't matter."

"Do you want us to dispose them?" Wolf asked.

Link cringed at the question and felt Marth twitch in his arms. He gently set Marth down and took a quick look at him as Pit carefully watched his surroundings. The Triforce of Power dimly flickered before it vanished completely.

"Yes, we can't allow Link and Marth to alert their allies or escape." Ghirahim answered cooly.

"Is you say so." Wolf pointed his gun at Pit and gently set his finger on the trigger.

All of a sudden, Marth's eyes snapped open. "W-Wait!" he weakly said, as he shakily stood up. "Don't hurt them!"

"Marth, no!" Link whispered. "Get down! You're too weak!"

Marth ignored Link's warnings and unsteadily walked towards Wolf. "Don't... hurt them... Just take me... and leave them alone..." he feebly said.

Link looked closely at Marth and noticed that his legs, which were holding his heavy body, were shaking in exhaustion.

"Men, hold him back." Wolf ordered. A few men hurried to Marth, grabbed him, and held him down to the soggy, moist, swampy ground.

"No, leave them alone!" Marth shouted desperately. Tears of fright filled his wide cerulean eyes. He began to struggle against his restrictions. Link quickly looked at Wolf and unsheathed his sword.

One of the men grabbed a handful of Marth's azure hair, pulled it up, and violently slapped Marth's face. "Shut up!"

Letting a small yet high-pitched cry of pain, Marth glared at the men with widening angry eyes. A sudden burst of energy erupted through his frail body as he shoved the men away. As his blood began to boil, the Triforce of Power shone brightly on his left hand and enveloped him with light.

"What's happening?!" some of the men shouted in panic as they fled in shock.

Wolf's and his remaining men's attention turned to the abrupt flash of light. Standing in Marth place was a ferocious lion. He had a flowing azure mane, bangs that covered its glaring cerulean eyes, and a light-blue coat. He emitted a low growl as he slowly went towards Wolf's men, making them draw back in fear.

_The Triforce of Power...!" _Link thought to himself in astonishment.

"I said LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Marth, now empowered in his lion form, roared at his enemies in rage. He suddenly lunged at a group of cowering men and swiped them with his monstrous claws. Screaming and yelling in confusion, they flew off into the distance. Where they landed was not part of Marth's worry. He only cared about protecting his friends.

"Stop him!" Ghirahim and Wolf commanded their men and Risen.

Yet, despite their efforts, the followers and Risen were no match for Marth. Whenever they got too close to the enraged lion, Marth would simply swat them away with his razor-sharp claws. If they were lucky, they were simply land head-first in the mud or water. If not, they were shred into bloody pieces like paper.

Marth did not fight alone. Link and Pit were his eyes behind his head. Whenever a Risen or follower got too close to Marth's turned back, they were quickly take them down with a simple, glowing, magic arrow, or a slash from a sword. Even the pegasi joined the battle. Their loud, bellowing neighs struck terror in their enemies' hears as they kicked them in the stomach with their powerful hind-legs.

"Marth!" Ike shouted as he arrived in the battlefield. The scene that greeted him greatly shocked him. It was not the Risen and Wolf's followers attacking Link and Pit, it was the magnificent, grand, blue lion that dominated the battle field. Yet, it seemed familiar...

"What's going on?" Ike asked himself as he unsheathed his sword and hurried into the battlefield. He grunted as he shielded himself from a Risen's attack.

Pit noticed Ike entering the battle. "Link! It's Ike!" he exclaimed, pointing at Ike, who was fending off the Risen.

Link quickly looked at where Pit was pointing and nodded.

"Wolf, Ike has entered the battlefield." Wolf's men warned.

"I'll take care of him." Wolf said as he hid behind a tree and aimed at Ike, who was completely unaware.

With his sensitive ears, Marth picked up Wolf's words. He noticed him hiding in the shadows, taking aim at Ike and waiting for the perfect moment to pull the trigger.

After taking down several Risen, Ike recognized Marth's lion form. "Marth, is that you?" he asked, hurrying towards the blue lion.

_"Gotcha." _Wolf thought to himself as Ike quickly stabbed two Risen that got in his way. Ike was completely in the open.

Wolf gently set his finger on the trigger and aimed the deadly weapon at Ike's head. If Marth was a human, his face would've been as white as snow.

_"No, Ike can't__—__!" _Marth thought to himself as he quickly hurried towards Wolf.

Just as Wolf was about to pull the trigger, Marth roared in fury as he lunged at his archenemy. Wolf quickly turned, and before he could even counter-attack, Marth slashed him with his razor-sharp claws. The cinnamon liquid that spewed onto the ground marked the violent end of a life.

"Boss!" Wolf's men shouted in panic. Without a leader, they did not know what to do next.

Marth turned to the remaining men and let out a warning, furious growl, which sent a freezing chill down their backs and echoed into the darkness. Knowing that they were not match for the powerful lion, the surviving men fled into the dark forest, screaming and yelling for their lives.

Ike stabbed a Risen before hurrying towards Marth. "M-Marth! Is that you? If so, are you alright?"

"Ike..." Marth said as light began to cover him. Ike quickly looked away from the blinding light. When the light died down, he looked and spotted Marth, who reverted back to a human. "I'm glad that you and the others are safe..." he finished weakly.

Marth tried to walk towards Ike. However, he clumsily stumbled due to his exhaustion from fleeing, the poisonous gas, and using the Triforce of Power's magic _twice_. Luckily, Ike managed to catch him and break his fall. With a tired, frail sigh, Marth slumped limply in his arms.

Pit finished the last Risen via shooting it in the head. "Where's Ghirahim?" he asked, looking around.

Link heard a click behind him and turned around, just to see the silver-haired demon vanishing into diamonds. "He must've fled. Be careful, he might be waiting for the perfect time to attack!" he warned.

"Marth, I'm sorry." Ike apologized. "If I came here sooner and protected you, you wouldn't be in this state!"

Marth laughed softly, trying to brighten the mood. "It's not your fault. I was the one who suggested that we should split up. Besides, we are still alive, right?" After finishing that sentence, Marth began to cough hysterically. Ike cringed; he thought that Marth was going to cough his lungs out.

"Ike! Marth! Pit! Link!" Roy cried out as he, Fox, Falco, and Samus rushed to the scene.

"You guys are alright!" Link spoke with a relieved smile.

"We could've gotten here sooner if it weren't for Ghirahim ordering his Risen to attack us." Fox growled. "Luckily, they were really easy to take down."

"How's everyone?" Samus asked.

"I assume all of us are fine." Ike answered. His voice dropped into nervousness. "Except for Marth."

"Did he get injured?" Roy asked in concern.

"No, I didn't." Marth quietly answered. He let out a load cough. "I inhaled some... poisonous gas... emitted by a Pokemon..."

"This is serious!" Falco spoke. "We need to get him back to Hyrule as soon as possible!"

"Ike, put Marth on your pegasus." Link ordered. "He's too weak to walk. Everyone else, follow me! I know a way out!"

As Ike carefully set Marth on his pegasus, Marth groaned softly in pain and dizziness.

"Marth, what's wrong?" Ike asked worriedly.

"I... feel so dizzy... tired... Everything... is getting... so blurry and cold..." Marth shivered as he groggily answered Ike's question.

Ike took off his warm, red scarf and gently wrapped it around Marth's neck. As heat embraced his body, the blurs of colors and shadows Marth saw gradually turned into darkness.

"...Marth?! Marth! Wake up!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Yess! Writer's block didn't get me this time!<strong>

**Well, after two chapters of Marth fleeing and whatnot, he's finally found by his friends and not in the hands of the Risen. Also, someone asked me if Marth could transform into a wolf like Link. This gave me an idea. The reason why Marth can transform into a lion and not a wolf is, I feel that the lion best represents him (His past life anyway.); royalty, power, etc... **

**Also, something tells me that the story might be completed in at least 5 more chapters. **

**Story Questions:**

**What do you think is going to happen in the next chapter?**

**Should Ike have the ability to transform into an animal? If yes, what animal should it be?**

**I want to have characters from Hollow ( Like Eliwood) enter the Surface. The problem is, I can't think of a good reason why they arrive at the Surface. Any suggestions? **


	13. Chapter 13: Curse

Ike felt his heart being violently stabbed a hundred times as he helplessly watched Lissa trying to heal Marth with her magic staff and Roy rummaging through his bag for any medicines.

A bright, vibrant, green light shined on Marth when Lissa performed a healing spell on the unconscious male. As light sparkled over his body, Marth twitched slightly and signed quietly. The simple, weak sound; the sudden, tiny movement; and his chest rising up and down were the only indications that Marth was still alive.

"Did the spell work?" Ike nervously asked Lissa when the healing light died down.

"This is strange..." Lissa softly began, eying Ike with confused, teal eyes. "The spell isn't working! It is like, his body is repelling the spell!"

"Do you know why?" Ike questioned, looking at Marth uneasily.

"I don't know..." Lissa helplessly answered. She began to wander around the room. "This has never happened to me before... I'm so sorry, Ike!"

"It's ok." Ike smiled at the cleric, reassuring her. "Tell the others what happened."

"Yes, right away." Lissa said as she quickly hurried out of the room.

Ike then turned his attention to Roy. "Did you find anything?"

"No, I can't find any medicines." Roy answered with a sad, hopeless look. "I do know a tonic that may treat Marth but..." A lost puppy, Roy's nervous voice trailed off his sentence.

"But what?" Ike was slowly losing his patience.

"The last time I saw it, it was sitting in my Dad's office." Roy finally concluded.

"Oh, I see..." Ike could only reply.

Roy sighed as he tried to think of a solution. "Maybe I can try to go back to Hollow and retrieve the medicine!"

"No, don't." Ike immediately replied. "Ghirahim and his Risen might be lurking in the forest. They know that one of us is going to attempt to enter Hollow."

"Still! Either way, Marth is going to die!" Roy retorted. "We have to try!"

"No, I won't allow this!" Ike argued back, his voice rising. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt, ok?!"

"...Ike? Roy? What's going on?" Marth suddenly yet weakly asked.

Hope rising in their hearts, Ike and Roy quickly turned to Marth's bedside. "Marth! You're awake!" Ike exclaimed. "This... This is good!"

"How are you feeling?" Roy asked.

"I feel... I still feel tired, dizzy, and weak..,' Marth softly mumbled before he erupted into a violent coughing fit.

Ike set a gentle hand on Marth's hand as Marth coughed hysterically. He rose an eyebrow as heat rushed into his palm. With a worried glance, Ike looked closer at Marth's physical state.

If Marth was not a close friend, but a stranger to Ike, Ike would quickly back away from him and cringe in fright. Marth's physical appearance was not a pretty sight; he was in a deathly state. If it weren't for its boiling temperature, Marth's skin would've been mistaken as snow. His hair was ruffled and tangled with dirt. Sweat slowly rolled down his forehead as he quietly panted for air. The only things that were still alive were his cerulean eyes. They hadn't lost their lively twinkle, which told Ike that he had the will to fight for his life.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Ike?" Marth suddenly asked. "You don't recognize me?" he joked, trying to filter the sadness in the air.

"No, I can recognize you." Ike replied with a reassuring smile. "I'm just glad that you're still alive."

Marth nodded slightly as his eyes slowly closed. His breathing became softer as his thoughts drifted to sleep, into the realm of unconsciousness. The realm, although sometimes exciting and erratic, was Marth's getaway from his life-or-death situation.

"He fell asleep..." Ike could only say, turning to Roy.

"That's good." Roy replied. "He needs rest to recover."

"Roy, you're right." Ike said sternly. "We need that medicine. Marth's life depends on it. I think it is worth the risk."

"Do you want me to go alone?" Roy asked.

Ike shook his head no. "No, it's not safe. Why don't you ask Fox and Falco to come with you?"

Roy nodded. "Sure! I'll ask them and we can get started on our trip right away!"

Roy took his bag and hurried out of Marth's room. Hurrying, he accidentally slammed the door open, causing a loud bang to shoot down the hallway. Marth flinched and jumped, as he was jolted from his peaceful sleep.

"R...Roy?" Marth asked as he blearily looked around his room from the younger redhead.

"Don't worry, he'll be back." Ike smiled at the sickly bluenette. "He's going to find a way to cure you."

"I see..." Marth replied, coughing softly.

"Get some rest, ok?" Ike's question was replied by Marth's small nod.

Marth lightly grasped the covers as Ike left his room. "Do you think Roy and the others will be ok?"

"Yeah! Just hold on, Marth!" Ike encouraged just as he walked out the doorway.

Marth smiled back at Ike as he carefully shut the door. Snuggling in his covers, Marth turned to his right side, his back facing the wall, and gazed at the candle's waving, warm flame. As the flame waved and twitched, it formed unusually shapes and shadows on the walls and ceiling, which strangely soothed Marth.

Resting the side of his head on the fluffy, white pillow, Marth was about to fall asleep when—

"Ike, can I talk to you about something?" Link's voice asked. It was slightly muffled by the firm, stone walls.

"Sure." Ike's voice coolly answered. "What is it?"

"It's about Marth."

A static of fright sent a shock wave through Marth's heart. This was about him? Link's voice had a stern, solemn ring to his tone, hinting that this was not good news. So, this conversation was about him, huh? Using the little strength he gathered, Marth carefully got out of his bed, clumsily went to the door, unsteadily sat down, and set the side of his head against the door, so he could listen to the conversation clearer.

"Does it have something to do with his illness?" Ike asked.

"A little bit." Link answered. "There's something that Tiki failed to mention when we went to Mount Prism." Link paused uneasily. Should he really tell Ike this horrible truth?

"Go on." Ike urged.

Marth lightly clutched his nightclothes as restlessness washed through his veins.

"After when all of the tribes fled to the mountains, Zelda's ancestor, a great, powerful sage known as Hylia, set a powerful curse on the two princes' spirits. If the incarnation of either Ike's or Marth's spirit enter the Surface, they are fated to die. This is to prevent the tragic war from repeating itself or the resurrection of the Earth Dragons."

"So, Marth's plight was fated all along?" Ike asked in shock.

Marth set a hand over his mouth as he gasped quietly.

"Yes." Link answered.

"Then, why did nothing happen to me yet?"

"Marth is more likely to fall for the curse first because, he died before Ike."

"Is there a way to break the curse?"

Trying to hold back his tears, Marth weakly crossed his fingers.

"There are two ways." Link began. "However, they are not easy."

"What do you mean?" Ike replied. Nervousness trembled in his voice.

"The first way to break the curse is to defeat Demise, since he was the mastermind behind the attempt conquest of the demons and dragons. However, there is one problem. We don't know where he is residing. The second way is to..." Link stopped, a bit scared to finish the sentence. This would definitely break Ike's heart.

"Is to? What is it?" Ike loudly asked. Marth could tell that Ike was getting anxious; losing his patience was a large, red sign.

"...Is to kill Marth." Link finally finished.

There was silence. Marth was who bewildered and jolted with Link's sudden lightning bolt, did not notice the tears streaming down his face.

"If you think about it, that wold be the easiest way to end the curse. However, Marth is your friend..."

"...You know what? I'm willing to do anything to end this so-called curse!" Ike said in determination. "I'm going to find out where Demise is and defeat him once and for all!"

"You can't defeat him." Link warned. "The only ones who can are the incarnations of the heroes who fought him thousands of years ago!"

"So?!" Ike protested. "We need to try! I don't want anyone in the future to suffer from this curse, ok?"

There was a pause.

Link sighed in agreement. "I understand now. Let's go to the library and see what we can find."

As he listened to Ike and Link walk away, Marth shakily got up and went back to his bed. The tears that streamed down his cheeks were now dry strains. His cerulean eyes were pink, just like his face.

"So, Ike and Link are trying to find a way to defeat Demise, and Roy is going to retrieve a tonic from Hollow?" Marth asked himself as he got into his bed. He trembled as a chill shot up his spine. With a shiver, Marth tightly clutched the covers. "Why are they doing this for me? I didn't do anything to redeem myself. I was just a target with a prize sitting in front of it."

As he thought to himself, Marth slowly drifted to sleep, knowing that the building blocks of fate were sitting in his friends' hands.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Roy, Fox, and Falco gathered at the entrance of Hyrule, ready to travel back to Hollow. Each of them looked at the dark forest in the distance. Although it only looked like a puff of leaves and shadows mixed together in a blender, the trio knew that it was a large, complicated maze of towering trees and dangers.<p>

"Fox, are you sure you know the way back to Hollow?" Roy asked, clutching his bag nervously.

"I'm sure." Fox answered confidently. "Falco and I have been up here several time, so we kinda know our way around here."

"Kinda?!" Roy exclaimed in shock.

"Hey, we are going to try out best to get back to Hollow, ok?!" Falco replied.

Roy huffed softly. "Well, I just don't want Marth to die or anything!"

Fox looked at Roy with a reassuring gleam in his emerald eyes. "Look, we are going to save him, no matter what."

"Really?"

"I promise." Fox said. His words did not sound like a lie to the redhead. Fox turned to the forest. "Now, we need to get started on our journey! If we just stand here, Marth's not going to get any better!"

Roy and Falco nodded sternly in agreement, and the trio began to head to the forest.

* * *

><p>"You failed to capture the prince AGAIN?!" Demise lividly roared at Ghirahim, who was trembling slightly in fear along with several Risen, who surrounded him.<p>

"My M-Master! It wasn't my fault!" Ghirahim nervously tried to reassure. "It was Wolf's fault! If only if he knocked the little prince out before he was slaughtered, he—!" Ghirahim flinched when Demise glared at him with glowing, flaming, red eyes that could scare the daylights out of the darkness itself.

"I don't want any more excuses!" Demise yelled at the smaller demon. "We need the Prince's Spirit in order to carry out our plans!"

"Calm down!" Ghirahim shouted, trying to calm his master down. "I forgot to mention, that the prince is not in good health. As he was fleeing from our allies, he was poisoned and forced himself to use up the entire power of his Triforce. Do you know what this means? He is weakened! We can capture him easily now!"

Demise paused for a moment before responding.

"Very well." he said. "But I expect your next attempt to be a success."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: Don't worry Ike! Anything can change! <strong>

**OT: Sorry for the late update. I kinda procrastinated. **

**Just a heads up, for me, finals is this week until Thursday. So after Thursday, I'm basically on summer break! Whoo hoo! **

**I know, the story's kinda getting a bit boring. I promise that the next chapter will be less of "kicking Marth's arse" and more of "Marth kicking arse"! This story isn't really my best one because I didn't really have it planned out. Lesson learned, however. I'm trying to finish it as soon as possible because, I wanted to get started on the next one.**

**Also, I opened a poll. It has something to do with a SSB webcomic I was planning to do. (Yeah, I hadn't been talking about it for a while due to real life.) It's just asking which fanfic should I base it on first. (That was worded strangely.) Yes, I did open a poll similar to this, and the fanfic Lone Flame got the most votes. I'm just doing it again to make a final decision. **

**As for the story questions, I don't really have any, so do me a favor and please leave a review if you want to. **


	14. Chapter 14: Turning Point

With every step, the figure was slowly getting closer to the alarming color, which was screaming for help. A step away from the panicked hue, the figure was about to reach, grab the color, and hurry away before the hands got to him when suddenly—

A sharp, clawed hand grabbed him by the ankles and pulled him face-down into the water.

Struggling wildly and gulping water, the figure quickly rose his head out of the water and coughed hysterically for air. From the corner of his blurred eyes, a few hands plucked the red ball out with his fingers and took it away. The burning red slowly died down and turned into a lifeless brown.

"No!" the figure cried as he tried to kick the hand holding his ankle away. He missed, and several more hands grabbed him by the neck, arms, legs, and head. Helpless, the figure could only struggle against the hands iron-hard grip.

A pair of navy blue eyes shot open as Eliwood jolted out of his nightmare. Setting a shaking hand on his beating heart, the redhead looked around his office. His breathing slowly ceased as he calm down. He fell asleep in the middle of his work.

"It was just a dream..." Eliwood said to himself, sighing softly.

Eliwood's relief eventually turned into depression. With a sad luster in his blue orbs, he looked at a small picture frame sitting on his messy desk, which was piled with papers. It contained a picture of him holding Roy, who was only five-years-old, in his arms. The two identical males were smiling joyfully at the camera, free from worry and loneliness.

Ever since Roy left to aid Ike and his friends on his journey, Eliwood felt dreadfully lonely. Because his dear wife passed away about a decade ago, he was left with no one to talk to. The only people he spoke with were his coworkers and assistants.

Every morning, Eliwood would get up and hoped that his beloved, only son was waiting at the doorsteps of the hospital, just in one piece. He did not want to see Roy missing a precious limb! However, as time gradually passed, Eliwood's hope diminished. His sixth sense told him that Roy was in a better place. Which could either be Link's world, or worse; the afterlife itself.

A small knock on the door snapped Eliwood out of his thoughts.

"Come in." he quietly said, quickly putting on his neutral mask.

An officer with dark, indigo hair and deep, blue eyes entered the room. His bronze badge, which was pinned to his dark blue shirt, indicated that he held a high rank. Sitting in his black pant pockets was a small handgun. Following him was a fifteen-year-old girl dressed in a red skirt, white collared shirt, and a matching hairband. She shared the officer's physical appearances.

"Hello, Hector." Eliwood greeted with a small smile.

"Hello Eliwood!" Hector said loudly. He went to the redhead and gave him a large pat on the back. "Long time no see, huh?"

"Yes."

The girl restlessly approached Eliwood. "Mr. Eliwood? Do you know where's Roy?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, Lilina." Eliwood apologized. "Roy isn't here. He's... Somewhere else. He's really busy." Eliwood hoped that his answer did not cause suspicion.

"I understand." Lilina just replied. "I just really wanted to see him because I miss him."

Eliwood nodded.

"So Hector, how is it in Technol?" Eliwood questioned to Hector.

Hector's smile fell to a stern look. "Very unsteady." he answered. "The power company is strangely having trouble producing energy. We recently had several blackouts."

Eliwood swallowed uneasily. "I see..."

"We are suspecting suspicious activity going on in the company." Hector continued. "A few officers sent here noticed several men sneaking into an abandoned, private building. However, when we tried to gather information from workers, they refuse to answer our questions! This is a dire situation. We really need to know what is going on in the company! It's affecting life in Technol!"

Eliwood paused for a moment before saying, "Actually, I have some information regarding the power company in Technol."

Hector's eyes flickered with awe. "Really?!"

"Yes." Eliwood began his explanation. "Several days ago, a group of travelers..."

* * *

><p>As he impatiently waited for his men to return with his precious energy source, Bowser irately glared at his computer, which was turned off. It had been countless days, and still no news from Wolf. What happened to him? Did he decide to ditch him? Or maybe... No, Wolf could not be dead! He was skilled in speed, which made him difficult to kill.<p>

Bowser was unable to wait for another long yet short second. With a growl, he turned on his computer and activated a webcam.

"Ganondorf? Are you there?" he asked, snarling angrily.

Ganondorf instantly replied. "Yes. What do you want?"

"Where are Wolf and his men?" Bowser asked, unable to hold in his rage. "It has been days ever since they went to the Surface!"

"A few scouts just reported back." Ganondorf answered. "They said that Wolf was killed in battle with Ike and his allies."

Bowser sighed loudly. "Oh great..."

"Don't fret." Ganondorf continued. "We are now preparing to enter the Surface. This time, we are not going to hesitate to attack. We—"

Before Ganondorf could finish, a patrolling man suddenly arrived. "Sir! We have trespassing intruders entering our base!"

"What?!" Ganondorf exclaimed, before turning to Bowser. "I'll talk to you later."

With that, the computer flashed shut.

Bowser grumbled and set a palm on his face. This was not going according to his plan.

* * *

><p>At that moment, Roy, Fox, and Falco were hiding being a building in the underground base. A few moments ago, they were spotting by a few patrolling guards. They managed to flee, however with the growing security, their plans to get the tonic had dropped from a hundred percent to a fifty percent. The exit was just in front of them, yet men armed with tasers and guns began to surround it.<p>

"What should we do?" Roy nervously asked. "Should we wait for them to go?"

"We can't wait!" Falco whispered back. "You know how disciplined these guys are? They are nearly programmed to obey every command!"

"How about attacking them?" Roy suggested.

"We're outnumbered." Fox sighed and shook his head in frustration.

"If we only gathered more people..." Roy said hopelessly.

All of a sudden, one of the guards looked up and noticed the trio hiding in the corner of the building.

"I see them!" he shouted, pointing at the teens. "After them!"

"Hurry! They spotted us!" Fox quickly said, getting up with Falco and Roy.

"Let's split up!" Falco spoke up. "Roy, Fox and I will try to lure away the guards. When the coast is clear, go! We'll catch up!"

"But, what if—" Roy started.

"Let's go, go!" Fox ordered quickly.

Still hiding in the corner's shadows, Roy watched Fox and Falco hurry away from him and the furious guards chasing after them like a pack of wolves. The redhead bit his lips as he waited for all the men to pass. Once when they were gone, Roy anxiously slipped from the corner and hurried towards the entrance. His pounding heart rate increased with the adrenaline rush that zipped through his veins and his lungs, which were pushing themselves to supply precious air for the entire body. What seemed to be a minute felt like an hour as Roy dashed towards the exit from fear.

Unfortunately, there were a few guards sneakily hiding just outside of the exit. When they spotted Roy's foot stepping into the the area, they immediately pointed their laser guns and tasers at the redhead. Roy's navy-blue eyes widened as he froze like a statue. As he frightfully gazed at the armed men, time seemed to stop for him.

"Now, little boy." one of the men said, as he and his allies cornered him against a stone wall. "Just follow our orders and everything will be fine."

Roy jumped as his back came in contact with the wall. "No, I-I won't... Please, just let me go. I really need to— AAGH!"

Roy's sentence was sliced off when the man grabbed him by his cardinal hair and shoved him face-first into the wall, leaving him helpless. Roy screamed loudly and cringed as he felt the barrel of a gun slam violently against the back of his head. Tears filled his wide eyes as he only helplessly listen to the man's terrifying, growling words.

"You follow us, or us!" he boomed angrily. "You get that?!"

Roy trembled nervously at the words. He began to think about the others on the Surface, who were waiting for him, Fox, and Falco to return with the tonic for Marth. He pictured Marth lying in his deathbed, pale and weak, waiting desperately for the help as his life slowly drifted away from him...

"Halt!" a new voice suddenly exclaimed. Bowser's men turned to the sudden source of the voice. "Neo Pork City Police! Drop all of your weapons or we will fire!"

Roy looked up and spotted men dressed in jet black police uniforms surround the henchman. Behind them were... Ordinary citizens armed with beam swords, tasers, and guns?! What was going on? Roy also noticed that his captor's attention was turned away from him, allowing him to slam his elbow into his stomach in defense.

"Gaah!" the man screamed, releasing Roy as he clutched his sore stomach.

The henchman began to peacefully surrender. They dropped their weapons as some of the policemen quickly hurried into the abandoned city-like base to catch the other henchman. Others interrogated the captured men.

_"That was close!" _Roy thought to himself as he went away from the men. _"But, what's happening? Why did the police suddenly come?"_

Looking at the citizens, Roy recognized a familiar redhead and two bluenettes, one a man in his mid-thirties, the other a teenage girl his age.

"Dad! Lilina! M-Mr. Hector!" Roy cried as he hurried towards the three.

"Roy!" Lilina exclaimed as she rushed towards the redhead.

Roy and Lilina threw their arms around each other and gave their partner a tight hug.

"I missed you..." Lilina whispered in Roy's ears.

"Me too..." Roy whispered back, peacefully shutting his eyes.

Once when he was released from the embrace, Roy turned to Hector and embraced him.

"I hadn't been hearing from you for a while." Hector said, giving Roy a noogie on the redhead. "What happened?"

Roy softly chuckled in response as Hector released him. "I was wondering the same thing. Why is the police here?"

"There was suspicious activity occurring in Technol's power company." Hector explained. "If it weren't for your father, we wouldn't be here!"

"Dad..." Roy noticed Eliwood, who was trying to hold in his years of joy.

"R...Roy." Eliwood could only say back.

Like if they didn't see each other in a thousand years, Roy and Eliwood rushed towards each other and gave each other a loving embrace. They hadn't been hugged so tightly before. After many countless days, they finally know that their other half was doing fine.

"D-Dad! I... I missed you very much!" Roy said loudly, unable to hold in his joy.

"Roy, I'm glad that you are still in one piece..." Eliwood softly said. Unlike his son, whose joy was expressed in his voice, Eliwood's joy was expressed through the years that rolled down his face. "I was so worried that something happened!"

"Don't worry, Dad!" Roy piped up, looking at with hopeful, sparkling eyes. "I'm ok, see?"

Eliwood smiled back as he wiped his tears.

"Roy." Fox and Falco said as they arrived at the heartwarming scene.

Roy felt a sense of seriousness drain away warmth and relief. "Oh yes." he said, releasing Eliwood from his hug.

"Oh, you're Fox and Falco..." Eliwood said quietly. "Why are you two here? Did something happen?"

"Yes.' Roy began to explain.

Roy told Eliwood, Lilina, and Hector about his experiences on the Surface. He mentioned that Link was finally reunited with his family, Ike's and Marth's connection with the world, and Marth's deathly plight.

"I remembered that you had some kind of medicine that could treat Marth's sickness." Roy finally finished. "Do you still have it?"

"Yes, I do." Eliwood replied with a small smile. "In fact, I have it with me."

Hanging loosely on Eliwood's shoulder was a small pouch. He opened it and carefully took out the bottle of tonic, which was held in a plastic bottle.

"That's great!" Roy said. "We can now take it to Marth! Soon, our problems will be over!"

"Roy, may I ask you something?" Eliwood suddenly asked.

"Yeah, what is it?" Roy replied.

"Is it ok if I come along with you to the Surface?" Eliwood asked.

"What?! Why?!" Roy exclaimed in shock.

"I don't think it's a good idea." Fox warned. "There are many dangers above in the Surface."

"But, I would like to explore it and help you three." Eliwood calmly protested. "I don't care if something happens to me. I want to help!"

Fox and Falco paused for a moment. "Well, ok. If you say so." Falco replied.

"Can I come too?" Lilina asked with begging, deep blue eyes.

"No, you can't." Hector replied. "I'm not going to let you."

"Why?" Lilina asked her father.

"I don't want anything to happen to you." Hector explained. "Besides, I think Roy and the others are ok, right?"

"Yes!" Fox replied.

Falco nodded.

"I understand." Lilina said, turning to Roy. She stepped towards the redhead and embraced him tightly. "Roy, please be careful, ok?"

"Don't worry, I will." Roy coolly said.

"Hey Eliwood, don't die ok?" Hector asked, giving a large pat on Eliwood's back. "If you die before me, I'll kill you in the afterlife, ok?"

Eliwood felt a large sweatdrop roll down his face before answering, "Yes, I promise that I'll come back alive, ok?"

"You promise? I'll remember!" Hector boomed.

"Alright, everyone." Roy said sternly. "We need to head back to the surface as soon as possible. Marth's life is in our hands."

* * *

><p>Ike was awoken by a sudden jolt of fear. As sweat rolled down his pale face, he warily looked around the pitch-black library. The only thing that illuminated his dark surroundings was a small candle. Its tiny flame shone on the sleeping Link's face, who was resting the side of his head on a table, and a few thick-covered books.<p>

"Something is wrong..." Ike said to himself uneasily. He rose from his seat and head towards the door. "I sense something behind this door..."

When Ike stepped out of the library, he looked around the hallway nervously.

"It is emitting somewhere..." Ike mumbled to himself uneasily. "Could it be...?"

Although it was dead silent in the hallway, a high-pitched screeching noise screamed in Ike's ears for help. After uneasily glancing around, his eyes wandered and stopped at a door leading to a certain azure-haired friend's room.

"No, please be ok, please be ok, please be ok..." Ike anxiously said as he hurried towards Marth's room. His shaking hands grabbed the doorknob.

"Marth, stay with me, ok?!" Ike hissed as he pulled the door open.

Once when Ike pulled the door open, he was greeted by a terrifying sight. Ike's eyes widened in panic as he looked at Marth. Marth was lying in his bed, wheezing loudly and desperately for cool air. He trembled violently as he tightly clutched his blanket. Ike was not sure if Marth was trembling; either he was cold or having a seizure. Either that, that made Ike flash his blaring horns and turn on his alarming, red lights.

"Marth!" Ike shouted in shock, rushing towards his friend's bedside. "S-Stay calm!"

"I...Ike..." Marth shakily said as he weakly opened his cerulean eyes. "It's...s-s-so cold..."

Wrapping Marth in bed sheets, Ike hurriedly picked him up bridal style and carried him out of his room. Marth was cold to the touch, which set the fuse to Ike's panic. What was happening to him?! Was he dying?! Was this a dream?!

"Help! Somebody!" Ike called panicky. "Marth needs help! Hurry!"

Link instantly hurried out of the library. "What's wrong?!" he asked, trying to stay calm.

"Marth— He's wheezing for air, and he's really cold!" Ike quickly explained.

Link quickly glanced at Marth, who was shivering violently and loudly wheezing for air. That was a red light for the Hylian. Without wasting a single minute, Link nodded and hurried down the hallway to get help.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Gosh, I said that Marth was going to kick butt in this chapter. Yet, I broke that...<strong>

**Here's chapter 14! **

**I'm happy to announce that I'm on summer break! So, expect quick updates! Also, for those who are reading the fanfic "The Price of Respect", I'm going on a brief hiatus on it. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but I seriously don't know how should I continue the story. So give me a chance to think about it! **

**Judging from the webcomic poll, people want me to base my webcomic on "Lone Flame". So when I'm in the mood, I'll get started on the comic! When I submit the first page on my deviantart account, (See my profile), I'll announce it. **

**This may seem annoying, but I opened a new poll. It's asking which pairings should I write about. The choices are LinkXZelda, EliwoodZNinian (FE 7), and ChromXSumia (FE Awakening). So check it out!**

**Story Questions: **

**What do you think is going to happen in the next chapter? **

**Should more characters from Hollow appear in future chapters? If so, who? (Sorry if I asked this already.)**


	15. Chapter 15: Moments

Luckily for Marth, Lissa's spell quickly fixed things up. The cleric's magic made it easier for him to breathe, which was a sign of relief for Ike. Still, even the plain air itself was too cold for Marth. The azure-haired male was still shivering uncontrollably in his bed sheets.

"Is he going to be ok?" Ike asked Lissa as she left the room.

"Yes, but he might get another..." Lissa paused before continuing. "How should I say it...? Breathing-attack. Please keep a close eye on him."

Ike nodded in understanding and Lissa left him alone with Marth and Link. Link went to the door, opened it, and looked around the hallway. Through the large windows, he spotted light glittering in the room.

"It's nearly morning..." Link yawned.

Ike nodded sleepily and said, "I'm still tired..." He turned to Marth, who looked back with flickering eyes. "How are you feeling, Marth?"

"B...Better." Marth answered with a small smile. "Thank...you."

Ike noticed Marth trembling as he spoke. "Are you cold?" he asked worriedly. He as down in the bed next to Marth.

"Y-Yes...very!" Marth replied, clutching his covers tightly.

"Hey, I'll stay with you." Ike told the shorter bluenette as he lied down next to him. He stayed close to him, hoping to give him more warmth. "Does that feel warmer?"

Marth snuggled closer to the larger male. "Yes... Thank you."

Link suddenly went to Marth's bed and lied down on Marth's left side. "Hey, I'm not leaving you guys alone!" he said. He set a gentle hand on Marth's forehead. Although it was coated with slick sweat, it was strangely cold to the touch like ice.

"Thank you, Link." Marth smiled at the Hylian. He suddenly remembered something. "Oh yes, I overheard you guys talking about some curse..."

"Really?" Ike questioned uneasily. "Well, sorry about that, Marth."

"I'm ok. Besides, I think we can end it." Marth continued. "If we work together, we can begin a happy life here in Hyrule."

"I agree." Link said.

"Did you guys find anything in the library about where Demise could be?" Marth asked curiously.

"A book mentioned that he might be residing in an active volcano known as Origin Peak." Link explained. "The problem is, it didn't say where Origin Peak is located."

"What about the Dragon's Table?" Marth suddenly asked.

Ike and Link blinked awkwardly. Why did Marth want to know where that ominous alter was?

"Why do you ask?" Link questioned. "Do you want us to take you there, so we can sacrifice you to Medeus?" he joked.

Marth's cerulean eyes widened quickly in alarm. "N-No! It's just that, in case the Risen take me, you guys know where to go to save me!"

"I see, so you're planning ahead!" Ike said, understanding Marth's plan. "Books mentioned that it is located on the other side of Mount Prism. If we went there by pegasi, we might get there quickly!"

"That's... Great!" Marth said. He yawned softly. "I feel...so sleepy..."

"Me too..." Ike replied exhaustedly.

Marth nodded sleepily before resting the side on his head on his pillow and drifting to sleep. Before he let his consciousness run wildly into the dream world, Ike threw his arms around Marth and tightly embraced him, so the smaller male would not jolt awake by the sudden cold. Link caught notice of this and imitated Ike.

No matter what the circumstances, the three would fight on and support each other until the end.

* * *

><p>"See that, Dad?" Roy asked as he, his father, and his friends stepped out of the tunnel, into the sunlight. Roy pointed up to the sky, which was covered with gray clouds. "That's the sky. Well, it's usually blue, but it's covered with clouds now!"<p>

Eliwood squinted his eyes as he looked up at the endless realm that sat above his head and nodded. His sensitive, blue eyes were not used to the bright sunlight.

"It is really nice here..." he remarked, as he watched several Pidgeys flutter across the sky.

"I know! It's better than living underground, isn't it?" Roy piped up.

Eliwood nodded in agreement.

"Everyone, we need to hurry." Fox spoke up. "Don't you remember? Marth's condition?" he reminded.

"Oh, right!" Roy said. "We need to hurry! Dad, I'll point out and name these things for you, ok?"

"If that's what you like." Eliwood replied, smiling and shaking his head at his son.

"Let's go." Fox said, gesturing at them to follow him.

As the travelers hurried into the forest, Roy began to point out every object in the forest to his father like an excited, small child.

"This over there is a tree." Roy said as he hurried behind Falco. "The green things on the ground are grass. That large, gray thing is a rock. And...!"

Falco mentally groaned loudly. This might become annoying!

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Samus was watchfully standing in front of Marth's room. Dressed in a sky-blue shoulder plate; light, black shoulder plates; knee-length, leather boots; and armed with her gun, she warily peered around the hallways for any Risen or Ghirahim himself. Although the hallway was slowly being lit with the morning's gold light, Samus did not dare drop her guard. She knew that Ghirahim and the Risen were patiently waiting for her to lower her attention, so they could suddenly strike.<p>

After when Ike and the others successfully returned with the deathly Marth, Link reported to Zelda that Ghirahim was Demon aiding Demise, and was willing to do anything to capture Marth. Ever since that, Zelda ordered strict security in the castle. Mysteriously, Ghirahim was nowhere to be seen, which increased paranoia in the knights' hearts.

A small sound of footsteps walking down the hallway caught Samus's attention. Not willing to take risks, she loaded her gun and prepared to shoot.

Samus noticed Chrom, who was doing his round, enter the hallway, look around, turned, and disappeared through a wall.

"Everything's clear here!" he called to the other guards.

"Right!" Frederick's voice called back.

Hearing the two guards' calls of security gave Samus a little bit of reassurance. Maybe she was being overprotective here! Ghirahim might've given up on capturing Marth! Wait... Given up? Samus mentally slapped herself in the face for that silly thought. Ghirahim giving up did not sound quite right. He was willing to do anything to please his master Demise!

So Samus set up her guards while staying cool at the same time, hoping for the best.

* * *

><p>Soaring through the open sky, Pit cautiously looked down at the earth below for any signs of Risen; or Roy, Fox, and Falco returning. The wind's chilly breeze blew against his face and flapping, white wings; Pit did not feel cold, as he was used to this kind of weather.<p>

After flying around several more times, Pit flew back to Hyrule Castle Town. He landed in a towering, stone watchtower, where Lucina and Owain were on the lookout. Unlike Lucina, who was carefully peering around for any signs of enemies, Owain was carelessly looking down. For him, patrolling the area was the equivalent of watching paint dry.

"Did you see anything?" Lucina asked Pit.

Pit shrugged and shook his head no. "I didn't see any Risen, which is a good thing. However, I also didn't see Roy and the others. I'm worried, what if something happened to them?"

Lucina, who was listening to Pit, noticed her blond cousin slowly dozing off. She sighed in frustration and slapped him in the back of the head.

"Ywoch!" Owain exclaimed in pain. He gave Lucina a comical, angry look. "In the name of Naga, what was that for?!

"Be on the lookout." Lucina sternly warned. "The Risen might be looking for a perfect time to attack!"

"Fine." Owain signed. Setting his head on the stone wall, he began to gaze tiredly around his surroundings.

"See anything yet?" Pit asked. His question was answered with Lucina's and Owain's head shaking no.

All of a sudden, Owain's teal eyes caught a few tiny figures hurrying out of the forest. The hope in his heart quickly rose like bubbles in the ocean. Could it be?!

"I see something!" he shouted, pointing at the four figures.

Lucina hurried towards Owain's side and squinted her blue eyes in attempt to recognize the hurrying figures. "What are they?"

Pit quickly grabbed a telescope and used it to look at the hurrying figures closer. "It's Roy, Fox, Falco, and... I think Roy's father!"

Lucina gave Pit a strange look. "What do you mean by 'I think Roy's father'?!"

"Well, Roy told me that his dad looks like him, so I'm just assuming." Pit explained. "But still, Roy and the others are here! That means they have the medicine for Marth!"

"Open the gates!" Owain shouted at the other guards, who were in the other watchtowers. "Roy and the others are coming!"

"Tell Ike." Lucina ordered Pit.

With a nod, Pit took flight and went towards the castle, excited to tell the news.

* * *

><p>"They are coming!" Pit's voice shouted outside, waking Ike up. "Roy, Fox, and Falco are arriving back!"<p>

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Ike felt excitement and joy rushing into his body, perking him out of sleep. Yes! Roy, Fox, and Falco were back with the medicine! Marth's untimely demise might be prevented!

"They are here!" Ike said to Link, who was slowly waking up, with a large smile.

"Roy... Fox...and Falco?" Link replied. The corners of his mouth slowly rose.

"Yes!" Ike exclaimed, sounding like a joyful child for a split second.

"So, they...are back?" Marth asked as he carefully opened his eyes.

"Roy and the others are back with the medicine." Ike said happily.

This caused Marth's lips to curve into a smile.

"Let's go!" Link said as he jumped off the bed. He took his sheathed sword, which was resting on the ground, and hung it over his shoulder. "Let's not waste time!"

"I'll carry you." Ike quickly said to Marth as he got out of his bed. He scooped Marth into his arms and carried him out the sore, which was held open by Link.

The three were immediately greeted by Samus once when left Marth's room.

" Roy and the others are back!" she impatiently said, fidgeting with his fingers. "C'mon, let's hurry!"

Samus guided Ike and Link down the hallway, towards the entrance of the castle. At that moment, Zelda was leading Roy, Fox, Falco, and Eliwood into the castle. Ike felt happiness bursting through his veins. This was too perfect! He could not wake up from this dream of reality!

Zelda took notice of the three. "There they are!" she gasped.

"Over here!" Fox exclaimed.

Ike slowly kneeled down and carefully set Marth on the flat ground. Before they knew it, Fox, Falco, Roy, and Eliwood were surrounding them. Although it seemed that he and his friends were the only occupants in the area, Link kept his guard up. This moment was so perfect, something dreadful was bound to happen.

"The medicine! Hurry, Dad!" Roy whispered impatiently to Eliwood, who was trying as fast as he can to open the bottle.

With a snap, Eliwood twisted the bottle's cap off and slowly poured some medicine in it. Careful so he wouldn't spill a single, precious drop, the older redhead gave the cap to Marth, who shakily took it and quickly gulped down the bitter-teasing substance. Once when the tonic entered his system, Marth began to feel its healing effects take place. He felt strength returning to his arms and legs. A warm, flesh color turned his face into a lively pink.

"Is it working?" Ike asked Marth as he stood up.

"Let me see..." Marth held his hand up to Ike, who took it and carefully pulled him up. He took a few steps before clumsily stumbling. Luckily, Link, who was standing nearby, caught him in his arms.

"Marth, the medicine doesn't heal you right away." Eliwood quietly chuckled at the bluenette. "You still need some rest."

"Still, you look better than before." Ike said, going up to Marth.

Marth smiled back at Ike. "It's over. Everything's finally over now."

A small sound of a bow being retracted was caught by Link's sensitive ears, shattering the peaceful moment. He instantly looked up and spotted a Risen archer hidden behind a pillar, in the dark shadows. Pulling back its pointy arrow, which was dripping with a mysterious, deadly poison, it took aim at Ike, who was giving Marth a warm, reassuring embrace. Marth was so relieved; tears begin to flow out of his eyes as a sign of joy. Yet, Marth's joy would not last long.

"Ike! Look out!" Link shouted in alarm, just as the Risen released its arrow.

Luckily, Ike had quick reflexes and hurriedly pushed himself and Marth out of the way. As the arrow whizzed through air and struck a wall, the others gasped in shock and turned fearfully at the source of the projectile. While Fox, Falco, and Samus loaded their guns, Eliwood protectively took Roy into his arms. Link unsheathed his sword as Zelda quickly thought of a spell to cast. Ike quickly released Marth as he could only helplessly gaze at the Risen.

"No... What's happening?" he could only ask.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: <strong>**Something tells me I shouldn't have included so many characters in this story.**

**Here's chapter 15! Just a heads up, that the story is nearly finished. I think it will be finished in 3 to 5 chapters. ****Thank gods.**** TBH, I don't think this is one of my best stories, lol. **

**As for the poll so far, LinkXZelda has the most votes with ChromXSumia as the runner-up. So check out my poll if you hadn't already!**

**Story Questions:**

**Who is your favorite character in this story? Who is your least favorite character?**

**Out of these characters (Marth, Link, Pit, Roy), who should be the main character in future stories? ****(Ike hogged up the spotlight, ok?)**


	16. Chapter 16: Voice's Call

An evil, chilling laughter rang out through the room as Risen mysteriously began to appear out of the shadows. Dark-purple, gassy smoke foamed out of their mouths as they hissed loudly at the heroes. Their ghostly, glowing, red eyes we're directly fixed on Marth, who fearfully looked around for a place to flee.

Link, who recognized the ominous laugh, growled, "Ghirahim!" He carefully glanced around for the silver-haired demon. "Show yourself!"

"You all thought that everything was over?" Ghirahim chuckled as he walked out of the shadows along with his Risen henchmen. "Did you all erased me from the story?"

"Risen!" Zelda gasped. "How did they...? But, there were guards patrolling the castle!"

"About that," Ghirahim slyly started. "I used my magic to hide them within the shadows. Yes, your guards searched for danger in every room, however they did not check every shadow."

"Damn you..." Ike cursed under his breath.

Ghirahim's ears captured Ike's foul words. "Watch your language, Ruler of Crimea." The silver demon turned to the Risen. "I want everyone in this room on the ground dead and the Prince in your hands, understand?"

The Risen moaned excitedly in response. They could not wait for the bloodshed. When Ghirahim gave the nod of approval, they instantly rushed towards their prey. Luckily, Link's and Zelda's responses were fast. While Zelda used a powerful, fiery spell on several Risen; setting them with flames, Link slashed two Risen that were about to lunge at Marth with his sword. Fox, Falco, and Samus began to fire projectiles at the undead warriors.

Four livid Risen cornered both Eliwood and Roy against a wall. While Roy panicking internally, Eliwood strangely kept his cool.

"Dad, we need to run!" Roy whispered, clutching his father's arm tightly.

Eliwood abruptly shook Roy's tight grip off. "Run away? Oh, no! We Pheraes don't run away!" he said with a smirk that seemed cocky for his age as he took something out of his bag.

Roy's blue eyes widened in curiosity, no fright, when Eliwood handed him a mysterious handle with a small button. Wondering what did it do, Roy pressed the button, and a glowing beam of blue flashed on.

"Whoa!" Roy exclaimed.

"You know how to use a beam sword, right?" Eliwood asked as he took out his own beam sword. His question was answered by Roy's nod. "Let's go!"

With that, the redheads began to fight the Risen.

"Link! Lead Marth and Ike away!" Zelda ordered as she casted a strong wind spell, blowing the Risen towards the walls.

"Yes, princess!" Link yelled back as he went towards Marth and Ike. The two bluenettes were trying to stay from the battlefield as far as possible. He stabbed a Risen in the chest on the way.

Although the medicine was gradually healing Marth, the weak bluenette still felt weary. He quickly grabbed ahold of Ike's shoulder, as he suddenly felt faint.

"Link! What can we do?" Ike asked, kicking a Risen away from him. "Both of us can't fight!"

"I'll lead you away from this battlefield!" Link answered, motioning to the two to follow him. The three hurried towards the front castle doors. However, when they opened a crack, they were greeted with a war ongoing with Hyrule's knights and the Risen. Link immediately slammed the door shut. "No! Not there!"

"What now?" Marth asked anxiously.

Link instantly thought of a second plan. "Follow me! I have another plan!"

Without wasting a single minute, the three teens dashed down a hallway leading away from the violent battle occurring in the entrance of the castle. Unfortunately for them, Ghirahim say them flee from the corner of his dark eyes. Evading every attack thrown at him, he snuck away from the battle without anyone noticing.

* * *

><p>Link led Ike and Marth towards the weaponry room. Due to the abrupt sneak attack started by the Risen. The room was nearly empty. The only weapons that remained was Ike's golden, two-handed sword and Marth's slim, decorated sword. As they cautiously followed Link down the passageway of empty selves, Ike and Marth recovered their weapons.<p>

"Why are we here?" Ike asked, a bit confused.

"There is a secret passageway hidden here." Link explained sternly. "It was used to lead helpless residents away from Castle Town in case a war occurred."

"Where does it lead?" Marth asked, slightly struggling to hold his sword.

"It leads to Lake Hylia." Link answered. "It's a good place to hide there, since there is a complicated maze of temples there."

Link stopped at a shelf. "It should be here." he said, as he pushed it aside using all of his strength, revealing a mysterious passageway. "There it is! Let's go!"

Ike and Marth warily peered into the dark passageway. All they could see were a few torches flickering and waving. They formed strange orange light, which resembled waving, mutated flowers.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Ike uneasily asked.

"Yes, it is!" Link answered. "Let's go! We can't wait!"

Nodding sternly in understanding, Ike and Marth quickly followed Link down the shadowy passageway. Just before they left, Link smartly moved the shelf back in its original position, hiding all evidence of the hidden passageway.

_Unfortunately, a certain demon was hiding behind the other shelves, sneakily watching Link reveal their precious, secretive getaway._

* * *

><p>"Ugh, it's so dark..." Ike said as he and Marth followed Link down the passageway. He grunted as he clumsily stumbled over a large rock protruding from the dirty ground.<p>

Marth helped Ike up. "Are you ok?" he asked. He shook a bit from cold.

"Yeah." Ike answered, brushing some dust off his pants. "Link, how long is this tunnel?"

"I don't know." Link replied, turning around and shrugging his arms. "But, we need to keep going! Sooner or later, we will reach the end!"

"Got it." Ike said, his voice echoing into the dark reaches of the passageway.

All of a sudden, a chill of fright spiked up Marth's back. With a soft cry, he nervously and warily looked around for the source of danger. His fingers reached for the hilt of his sword as his heart pumped adrenaline through his system to preparing him to attack. Anxious cerulean orbs darted around the nearly-dark hallway for signs of trouble lurking in the darkness, waiting for the perfect moment to lunge.

"Marth? What's wrong?" Ike asked, noticing his friend's abrupt nervousness.

"I sense trouble..." Marth quickly replied, his voice shaking.

"I think it's your imagination." Ike commented in response.

"Everyone! We need to hurry!" Link called back to his friends.

"Yes, we understand!" Ike shouted back, before turning to follow Link. "Come on, Marth!"

"R-R-Right!" Marth uneasily said.

Following his friends, Marth felt a sense of danger slowly build and pile on his back like slabs of rocks. He tried to shake the slabs of worry off, yet they were firmly strapped onto his back with belts. Fear rushed through his body, making his heart thump violently and turning his skin completely white.

He could not ignore this terrible feeling. This was the same feeling that warmed him of any hidden dangers during his journeys. Heeding no attention to the sixth sense was an unwise idea.

"Guys, something or someone is following us!" Marth whispered out loud.

Both Ike and Link stopped in their path and gave the bluenette strange looks.

"Marth, we need to go." Link sighed in annoyance. "If we don't, the Risen might catch up with us!"

"This is serious." Marth tried to explain to his friends. "I think someone is really following us!"

"It's just your mind playing tricks on you!" Ike remarked, a bit tired of Marth's little "games". "Just ignore it."

"No!" Marth replied loudly, his voice echoing through the passageway. "I can't ignore it! Maybe if we just check behind our backs quickly..."

Swallowing the fear that swelled in his throat, Marth nervously turned around. Sudden, flying, magic projectiles that resembled glowing diamonds hurtled towards him like bullets.

"Look out!" Marth exclaimed as he was struck on the head unconscious.

Ike and Link immediately looked up, but it was too late. While the diamonds smashed into Ike's stomach and shoved him roughly onto the ground, Link was hit in the shins and thrown against the wall.

"Magic...projectiles?!" Ike shouted in confusion as he shakily got up. He noticed Marth on the ground, completely out cold and helpless. "Marth!" he cried as he hurried to his friend's side.

"You should have listened to him." A familiar, sickening, twisted voice said as the source of the dreadful voice stepped into view.

"Ghirahim!" Link yelled. He hastily pulled his sword out of his hilt and stood up however, a sharp pain slashed through his legs, causing him to collapse onto the ground with a loud thud. "A-Aagh!" he exclaimed, clutching his leg.

"Don't strain yourself, Hero." Ghirahim chuckled at the blond's distressful pain.

"You'll never get Marth!" Ike yelled, taking out his sword from its decorated sheath.

"Never?" Ghirahim asked as he began to tease Ike. "Don't you remember, Ike?"

"Remember what?!" Ike boldly replied, keeping an eye on the demon. His cobalt-blue eyes glared sharply into Ghirahim's black orbs.

"You wanted to summon Medeus and his Earth Dragons, right?" Ghirahim tricky started. "You don't remember? Oh, that is right! You wanted the return of Medeus in another life!"

"Another life?" Ike asked himself quietly, looking at Marth. "Wait..."

_"__Heed my call, Prince Ike.__"_A low voice hissed into Ike's ears.

Ike gasped and panicky looked around for more danger. "Who is this?!" he asked loudly. He shouted in pain when a cryptic force struck his head. Ike clutched his head tightly and whimpered softly, not willing to show weakness in front of his enemy. Link could only watch and clutched his injured leg.

_"__Bring Marth to me.__"_The voice ordered.

"Bring...Marth." Ike blankly said as he slowly began to fall into the sly effects of hypnosis. His blue eyes lost their lively twinkle and became as lifeless as death itself.

"Ike! Don't listen!" Link called, hoping to drive Ike away from the trap's bait.

With a slow nod, Ike carefully picked Marth up, threw him over his shoulder, and went to Ghirahim's side, who smiled wickedly. Everything was going according to plan for him, much to Link's shock and anguish.

_"__That__'__s a good prince.__"_The voice spoke, sounding disturbingly gentle.

Ghirahim finally turned to Link, who wobbly tried to stand up. The Hylian bit his lips as weight squeezed pain into his leg like toothpaste.

"And now to take care of the Hero." He hummed. A black, slim sword appeared in his hands as he went towards Link. Completely helpless due to his broken leg, Link could only point the sword at the demon as he slowly came closer. Still dazed from the enigmatic, hypnotizing spell, Ike watched the scene play out, unable to respond to his surroundings.

Ghirahim stopped, and was about to plunge the blade into Link's chest when suddenly—

_ZIP!_

A glowing, magical, blue arrow shot through the air and struck Ghirahim's blade, causing it to fly out of his hands. With a frustrated growl, Ghirahim looked at the source of the sudden projectile. He spotted Pit pointing his gold bow at him with a stern glare, preparing to fire another arrow.

"Drat!" Ghirahim yelled in frustration. He was so close to defeating Link! He gazed angrily at Pit, who did not flinch. "You blasted angel!"

As Ghirahim's attention turned to Pit, he did not notice Link shakily getting up. Trying his hardest to ignore the pain that blistered in his leg, with a war cry, Link lunged at Ghirahim and slashed his chest with his sword. Unlike everyday humans, which spilled blood whenever they were wounded, diamonds burst out of Ghirahim's chest and flickered like stars. It briefly lit the passageway for a few, mere seconds. With a wounded, pained gasped, Ghirahim kneeled down and clutched his aching chest.

At that moment, Marth stirred as he regained his consciousness. The first thing he noticed was Ike carrying him over his shoulder.

"Ugh... My head..." he groaned as he rubbed his forehead. "Ike? What happened?"

Marth's questioning voice snapped Ike out from his dazed, hypnotized state. With a "Hmmm?", he quickly noticed Ghirahim on his knees in pain.

"Ghirahim!" he exclaimed as he put Marth down. He caught Link withering in pain as he collapsed onto the ground. "Link!"

"Let's go!" Marth quickly said.

Ike nodded and the two bluenetes immediately went to Link. Careful not to strain his injured leg, the two cautiously helped the Hylian up and supported him.

"They're over here!" Zelda called to her knights as they rushed to the scene.

"Ghirahim's here!" Pit warned.

In a split second, Zelda and her loyal knights arrived at the scene, about to capture and interrogate Ghirahim. Knowing that he cannot fight against an entire army of knights, he knew that the wisest thing to do is to flee. Yet, he still had a message to deliver.

"You all think that you won?" he started, shakily getting up and ignoring his pain. "You are not even a hair close to victory!"

"I question you why." Zelda harshly replied. "Explain yourself!"

"Until we capture the Prince's Spirit, who is known as Marth, we will continue to torment you all." Ghirahim explained. "Unless, you go to war against us. If you are willing to, our battle shall take place in the legendary Dragon's Table."

"Where is it?" Zelda asked.

"Behind Mount Prism is a heavenly grassland." Ghirahim explained. "But don't let its peaceful, serene atmosphere fool you. At the other end of the grassland is the fabled Dragon's Table. Its appearance resembles an enormous temple. At the end, is the altar, which is where Medeus will consume the Prince's Spirit, if you lose the war. Do you accept?"

Zelda thought for a while. If she and her knights were to go to war against Demise, they might lose countless lives. Admittedly, due to the lack of war on the Surface, Hyrule's army is very small, only having about a thousand of men. Demise had countless numbers of Risen loyal to him.

But if she did not fight back, sooner or later, Marth would be captured eventually. All of her guards were not perfect. They each had their own flaws. Also, pressure would be set on Marth and his friends' shoulders. Zelda knew that she could not just sent them back to Hollow; they dearly wanted to stay here on the Surface with them.

"I accept." She said, confident in her decision. "When will the battle take place?"

"Tomorrow will be a fine day." Ghirahim answered, before he vanished into a flash of sparkling diamonds. His evil chuckle echoed in the passageway. Although this left an uneasy feeling in some of her knights' hearts, Zelda was unbothered by this.

"Return to the castle and prepare for war." Zelda ordered her knights, who obeyed and began their trip back to the castle. She then hurried to Link's aid. "Link, are you injured?"

Link nodded. "Ghirahim surprised with one of his attacks." he explained. "He followed us."

"Let's go back to the castle and have Lissa heal you, ok?" Ike said with a smile.

Link nodded with a blank facial expression.

"What's wrong, Link?" Pit innocently asked.

"Oh, nothing!" Link quickly answered, forcing a smile.

"We'll help you." Marth said.

"Thank you." Link thanked.

While Zelda led Link, Ike, and Marth back to the castle, Pit carefully watched their back, aware that Ghirahim might attempt another sneak attack. Link blankly looked down at the ground, a bit traumatized. A few moments ago, Ike nearly handed Marth over to Ghirahim. Ghirahim did not force him with death. It was simple and effortless! It was a spell that did the trick! Simple as that!

This was not a good thing. During the battle against Demise, Ike might fall into the hands of the dark spell and unconsciously capture and bring Marth to the altar for them, thus spelling eternal darkness for the world.

The only question that hung in Link's thoughts was: how could he prevent this? A shadow covered his azure eyes as Link thought of a possible, simple solution. He took notice of his sheathed sword that hung on the back and Ike, who warily helped him through the corridor.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: I'm still alive! I'm still alive! *kicks dead story*<strong>

**Sorry for the late update! I was having a hard time finishing this chapter. So far, I think there is two or three more chapters left. **

**Also, I want announce that the first two pages of my webcomic is uploaded on my deviantart account! (Link is on my profile). However, I'm planning to finish some summer homework this week, so updates might be slow. **

**For the poll (Including a guest's vote), LinkXZelda has the most votes, EliwoodXNinian is the runner-up, and poor ChromXSumia has the least votes. Check out my poll if you hadn't!**

**Story Questions:**

**How is Link going to prevent Ike from being hypnotized by Ghirahim? **

**What do you think is going to happen in the next chapter?**

**Note: I don't own SSB! **


	17. Chapter 17: Sunset

Ike was sitting underneath a weeping willow tree in the castle gardens. Trying to keep his mind off the nerve-wrecking, incoming war, he looked up at the sky. As the gold sun sank into the dark hills, the escaping light turned the blue realm into an explosion of orange, red, pink, dark blue, and purple.

Yes, the colors of the sky were beautiful. However, they did nothing to ease Ike's stress. He knew that the violent, blood-shedding war was going to occur tomorrow. This might be the last time he would see a sunset. If he was unlucky, he might get killed during the battle.

Ike knew that the best solution for this situation was to return to Hollow. At the same time however, he did not want to leave. He felt that fleeing to Hollow was an act of a coward. Yes, little blood might be shed, however there was a low chance of death. He wanted to show Demise what he, his friends, and Hyrule was made of!

Soft footsteps on the grassy ground caught Ike's attention. He looked at the source of the steps and spotted Link approaching him.

"Hey Link." Ike greeted, trying to hide his anxiety behind his small smile. "Do you need something from me."

"No, I don't." Link answered, smiling back. His smile fell into a frown, though. "But I need to tell you something."

"What it is?" Ike asked, oblivious to the seriousness that hung in Link's voice.

"You remember Prince Ike," Link began. "and his intentions?"

"Yes, I'm supposed to be the embodiment of his spirit!" Ike replied, not catching Link's hint. "He wanted to revive Medeus and the Earth Dragons to get back at Prince Marth!"

"Are you like him?" Link sternly asked, his azure eyes narrowing in doubt.

Ike was caught off-guard by Link's question. "No... I don't think so. Besides, when we went to see Tiki, she told me that even though I resemble him, I am willing to protect the things I love."

"So... Do you love the Surface?" Link questioned. "Would you do anything to protect it from destruction?"

"Yes, I would!" Ike answered, wondering why Link was asking so many questions.

"Even if it costs your life?"

"...Yes, maybe..." Ike unsurely answered. "Why are you asking me these questions, Link?"

A dark shadowed covered Link's emotionless eyes. He did not say anything.

"...Link? What's wrong?" Ike asked in concern. "Are you worried? You don't have to hide that from me!"

"...I'm sorry, Ike." Link suddenly said.

Link reached for his sword and pulled it out of its sheath. Much to Ike's shock and confusion, Link pointed the sword's razor-sharp, silvery blade directly at his chest. Feeling fear rise in his chest, Ike nervously backed away.

"Link? What are you doing?" Ike asked, trying to stay calm.

"I'm sorry, Ike." Link apologized, fighting back a tear. "But in order to win this war, you need to go."

"Why?!" Ike spat out in jolt. "Explain! Please!"

"When we were fleeing from the Risen, Ghirahim managed to follow us." Link explained, grasping his sword's hilt tightly. "Do you remember a voice talking to you?"

"Yes, I think." Ike answered. "The moment was blurry, but I can remember it."

"Since you are the embodiment of Prince Ike's spirit, Ghirahim or Demise himself managed to cast a hypnotizing spell on you." Link continued. "It only works on you. It won't affect anyone else. They tried to trick you into bringing Marth into their hands."

"I can fight against it, right?"

"I don't know; you immediately fell for the spell. I saw it with my own eyes!"

Ike noticed Link trembling slightly in nervousness.

"I know that this is murder, but you have to go!" Link concluded. "I'm sorry... I'm doing this for the future of the Surface! Do you accept my judgment?"

Ike was unsure. Yes, he did want to live. All living things had a natural tendency to do anything to stay alive. If Link were to attack him with no warning, he would do anything to live, even if it involved throwing a few punches at the blond.

Like Link said however, if Ike lived and went to war, he might unknowingly get hypnotized by Demise and unconsciously capture Marth for them, thus spelling the end of light for the Surface! In order to create a great future, sacrifices needed to be made. Ike finally decided that he must contribute to a better future, even if it removed him from the picture.

"Link, I accept your judgement." Ike calmly said, accepting his inevitable fate. "My life belongs to the Surface."

"Very well." Link bluntly said, positioning himself as he prepared to attack.

Link was about to lunge at Ike and jab his blade into his flesh when suddenly—!

"NO, STOOOPP!" Marth screamed in panic as he hurried towards the scene.

"M-Marth?!" Ike asked out loud in surprise, before the smaller bluenette tackled him, shoving him out of Link's attack range.

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?" Marth shrieked, asking Link. His cerulean eyes were not wide with fear, but with disgust. "I DON'T CARE IF IKE TRIED TO CAPTURE ME FOR DEMISE! HE'S STILL MY BEST FRIEND!"

Link blankly looked at his sword and then the ground. He was speechless. Marth would rather get captured by Demise than accepting the death of his best friend?!

"...Link?" Marth asked, his voice softer and worried. "What's wrong?"

"Why did I think of that?" Link asked out loud as he dropped his sword onto the grassy ground and fell to his knees.

Ike and Marth hurried towards Link's side and sat next to him. "Link, are you ok?"

"I-I'm sorry, Ike." Link apologized, lightly clutching his head. "I don't know what got into me! It's just that—"

Ike interrupted Link with a smile that did not look fake. "It's ok, Link. I understand."

"We know that you were doing the right thing," Marth added. "but we can't just sacrifice Ike! He's our friend. Friends are like knights. We protect each other until the end!"

"You're right, Marth." Link replied, reassuring himself. "There HAS to be another way."

"No more sacrificing each other, ok?" Ike said, ruffling Link's dirty-blond hair.

Link gently swatted Ike's hand away. "No more." he said with a smile.

* * *

><p>At that moment, Fox, Falco, Samus, Roy, and Eliwood the other five visitors from Hollow, were sitting outside, at the front of the castle. Unlike Ike, who tried to take his mind off the war by gazing at the lovely sunset, the five were discussing about the war. Like all of the residents of Hyrule, they did not want to lose to Demise. Losing the war was not an option!<p>

"I can't believe that we are actually going to war tomorrow." Roy said, shaking his head in disbelief. "This is really stressful."

"I'm stressful too, Roy." Eliwood replied, giving his only son a pat on the head. "Nobody likes war."

"You know what sucks?" Fox spoke up. "We might not have enough people in our army. That's what I heard from Princess Zelda."

"Maybe Demise will give us a little mercy and cut back on the Risen?" Falco asked, trying to relieve the uneasiness among his friends. His sentence was answered with groans and shaking heads.

"It's no use." Roy huffed in frustration. "We might not win the war."

There was a moment of silence. The only things that were heard were the sounds of trickling water from the fountains, wind rustling the tree's leaves, and a lonely bird's chirping.

"You know, I hadn't been hearing much from Bowser." Samus spoke up, breaking the silence. "I know that Wolf was killed, but other than that, Bowser seems to be out of the picture now."

"The police back in Hollow noticed Bowser's and his men's suspicious activity." Eliwood explained. "They managed to discover their hidden base and capture the henchmen residing there. I assume that a few citizens heard about it."

"A few?!" Fox asked in shock. "There were hundreds of them in the hidden base when the police came! They must've gotten tired and suspicious of Bowser's activity!"

"Wait, hundreds?" Samus asked in bewilderment, turning to Fox.

"Maybe a thousand or more." Falco corrected. "Before we left for the Surface, I turned around and saw lots of citizens entering the base."

"Hold on, I have an idea!" Samus said. "Maybe we can gather some people in Hollow and bring 'em up here. They can join our army!"

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Falco asked doubtfully. "I don't think a thousand people is enough."

"It might work!" Fox said, about to explain to his partner. "They have advanced weapons. This might give us an advantage!"

"We need to try!" Roy said in determination. "It might work!"

"How about this: Fox, Falco, and I can hurry back to Hollow." Samus said, forming a plan. "Roy and Eliwood will stay here and tell Princess Zelda our plan. Got that?"

"That sounds like a good plan!" Fox replied. "But, how are we going to get there quickly?"

"Why don't you ride the pegasi?" Roy suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea." Falco replied. "We can cover lots of land that way!"

"Let's go, we can't waste any time!" Samus said, quickly getting up.

Fox and Falco nodded and followed Samus back into the castle. As Roy watched them leave, he asked, "Dad? Isn't the sunset awesome?"

"Sunset? That's what it's called?" Eliwood replied calmly. "It is beautiful. I never seen one before."

"Do you think we can beat Demise?" Roy asked again.

"I hope we can." Eliwood answered. "I don't want people to miss out on the sunsets."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Sunsets!<strong>

**Here's chapter 17! I already have chapter 18 finished, and I'm ****struggling ****trying to finish the final chapter as soon as possible, so hang on everyone! Hopefully, you guys did not mind the slow updates! I make it up with the quick updates. The next chapter will be uploaded tomorrow. If I managed to finish the last chapter, it might also be uploaded tomorrow as well! **

**Story Questions:**

**If you were Ike, would you accept Link's judgement, or not?**

**Do you think Link was doing the right thing? **


	18. Chapter 18: Unbreakable Bonds

The sun rising from the hills marked the beginning of the fated, inevitable day. As Marth helped him strap his gleaming, midnight-blue armor on in the armory, Ike blankly gazed out a window and watched the sun fill the earth with its light. As time passed however, gray, moody clouds appeared and blocked the gold light. Yet, light continued to lit the entire world. It was a battle against light and darkness itself.

Ike was terribly anxious. This was the day that could drive the future directly down the right path, or curve it down a cliff! Whoever won the war determined the outcome. Letting Demise and his minions winning the war was not a favorable opinion! Hyrule needed to win, no matter what! They needed to win a better future for generations yet to come!

Link entered the armory. He was clad in his trademark, green tunic and cap, and armor plates that looked like it was made of gold.

"Are you guys ready?" he asked.

Marth adjusted his jet-black armor before saying, "I'm ready." He turned to Ike, who sat down in a chair. "How about you, Ike?"

Ike did not say anything.

"Ike? What's wrong?" Marth asked worriedly.

"So, the day has finally come." Ike only said as he dazedly looked out the window. "This might be the last time we will see the sun."

"Ike, we can do it." Marth encouraged with determination.

"If you think you can't do it, we already lost." Link added. "We need to have enough spirit in order to defeat Demise! If you think we can do it, we might be able to!"

Ike's lips curved in a small smile, indicating that his friends' reassuring words helped. "I think we can do it. I'm ready, let's go!"

The three left the armory and went to the entrance of Hyrule, were the entire army was waiting for them. Hylians of all heights, genders, and ages were garbed in navy-blue tunics and protective bronze helmets and mounted on pegasi. They were wielding weapons of their choice, such as swords, spears, bows, and axes. Several Hylians, who could use magic like Zelda, had magical light tomes in their possessions.

The Hylians were not the only tribes about to go into battle. In the air above them were the Angels, who were being led by Pit under their leader Palutena's orders. Garbed in white robes or tunics and bronze armor, they were either armed with magical bows or spears. A few Angels who knew magic wielded staves; they wanted to prevent as many deaths as possible.

"We are ready, Princess Zelda!" Link said to the Hylian Princess, who was mounted on a pure, white pegasus, when he and the two bluenettes arrived.

Zelda nodded. "If that is so... Men! Let's—"

"Wait!" Pit shouted in alarm, interrupting Zelda.

"What is it?" Zelda asked. "Do you see danger?"

Pit squinted his eyes at the forest. His sharp indigo eyes spotted many shadowy figures marching through the forest. What were they? Maybe Risen? But, he could not sense a dark, ominous feeling surrounding the area! It could be a thousand Pokemon! However, such an event never occurred!

"I'm not sure if it's danger!" Pit replied. "I think we should prepare to attack, just in case!"

"Yes. Men, prepare yourselves to attack!" Zelda ordered.

As the men raised their weapons, the figures lurking in the forests emerged. Led by Samus, Fox, and Falco, hundreds of men stepped out of the forest. The enormous herd was like a salad; it contained members from different tribes. They were armed with different weapons, which included laser guns, beam swords, hammers, tasers, and even trained Pokemon. The Hylians and Angels were stunned and bewildered, like if a bolt of lightning struck them. What was happening?! Where did they come from?! If they came from Hollow, then how did they discover the Surface?!

"What is this?!" Zelda asked in surprise, as her calm, deep-blue eyes widened.

Ike looked closer as the ginormous army of men. "Hey, they are from Hollow!" he exclaimed in jolt.

"Why are they here?!" Marth asked in amazement. "Are they here to aid us?"

Roy heard Marth's question. "Yes, they are!" he explained. "Samus, Fox, and Falco decided to go to Hollow and recruit some people for our army, since it is too small compared to Demise's!"

"That's great!" Link remarked with a large smile. "Judging by their weaponry, they have an advantage over ours! That means, we have the full advantage over Demise's army of Risen!"

"We might be able to beat Demise after all!" Marth said with a wide smile.

* * *

><p>After hours of traveling through dense forests and rocky cliffs, the army, which had a mixture of Hylians, Angels, and Hollowians, finally arrived at the entrance to the Dragon's Table.<p>

The Dragon's Table was an intimidating place. It was an ancient temple on a wasteland with a large staircase leading to the first room. There were statues of ferocious Earth Dragons. There were a few ruins of smaller temples. In the middle of the Dragon's Table was a tall, pointy tower. Clouds surrounded it.

"We are finally here..." Ike said as the army approached the Dragon's Table.

"Are you guys ready for this?" Marth asked.

"Yes." Link calmly answered with confidence. "No matter what happens, we are in this together."

The three took their partners' hands and tightly clutched them, swearing their loyalty and allegiance.

A feeling of uneasiness surrounded the area as Demise, Ghirahim, and their Risen army went out of the temple to greet their opponents. Preparing for battle, the members of Zelda's army unsheathed their weapons and carefully watched the undead warriors' actions.

"Princess Zelda, I never thought that you kept your world!" Demise remarked. "I thought that you and your pathetic kingdom would quickly flee."

"My kingdom never flees from danger." Zelda sternly replied, not feeling insulted. "We fight the source of our dangers, such as you and your Risen!"

"My death equals your victory." Demise stated. "Reach me, if you can."

The Demon King then turned to the Risen, who were itching to begin the battle.

"You may attack." he ordered. As soon as the words were said, the Risen instantly hurried down the stairs, towards Zelda's army. Knowing that his undead minions would do the dirty work, he and Ghirahim turned and went back into the Dragon's Table.

"Go, go!" Zelda yelled at her men before turning to Ike, Marth, and Link. "I want you three to enter the Dragon's Table and defeat Demise. His defeat will spend the end of the war!"

"Yes, Princess!" Link replied. "Ike! Marth! Follow me! Before careful!"

Following Link, Ike and Marth hurried through the battlefield. Whenever a Risen got too close to them, they quickly slashed them with their swords. Yells and hisses erupted thought he bloody battlefield. The Hylian Mages' light tomes violently contrasted with the Risen Mages' dark tombs. Arrows shot up at the sky in attempt to shoot down those who were mounted on pegasi. Holy, green-blue lights surrounded the wounded as priests struggled to save lives.

After invading attacks and defending themselves, Link, Ike, and Marth finally dashed up the stair's steps and enter the temple. The interior of the Dragon's Table was spooky and a bit intimidating. Large piers supported the towering ceiling. Torches, which lit the room, waved ghostly at the visitors. The floor's colorful tiles created a strange pattern. The room was strangely freezing cold.

At the end of the room was an altar. It had two, tall candlelights next to it. Ike assumed that it was where Medeus was going to feed on Prince Marth's Spirit. He jumped when he noticed Marth trembling uncontrollably in fear. Being the Incarnation himself, the smaller bluenette must've sensed its ominous purpose.

Standing in front of the altar was Demise and Ghirahim.

"Welcome to the Dragon's Table." Demise greeted when the three teens entered the room. He noticed Marth, who pointed his sword at him in defense. "You must be the Incarnation of Prince Marth's Spirit. Are you here to sacrifice your soul for the destruction of the world?"

"No." Marth sternly answered, his eyes narrowing into a glare. "I'm here to help my friends defeat you!"

Demise then looked at Link, who carefully watched him. "Hero, do you think you can defeat me?"

"Yes, with the guidance of my friends!" Link answered.

Finally, Demise's glowing eyes met Ike's gaze. "The Incarnation of Prince Ike's Spirit.. Why are you fighting along them? They are your enemies!"

"Look, I don't remember any intentions to hurt Marth and Link." Ike explained sternly. "I only remember the moments that occurred during my lifetime, not during my other lives!"

Ghirahim stepped up and stood by Demise's side. "Shall I aid you?"

"Yes." Demise held up his hand and Ghirahim mysteriously vanished into pitch-black diamonds. In a swirl of darkness, a large, ridged sword appeared in Demise's hand. "Hero and the Princes, enjoy the pain and terror you are about to experience as I send you into the depth of death!"

As Demise began to head towards the three heroes, Ike, Marth, and Link began to quickly form a plan. This was it! One slip-up and everything was over! They could not fail, or the world would crumble with them!

"Here's the plan!" Link quickly explained. "I'll try to attack him behind! Ike and Marth, distract him! But don't let him get Marth! Understand?"

"Yes." Ike and Marth said together.

As he backed Ike and Marth against a wall, Demise did not notice Link sneaking swiftly away. The Demon King's attention was completely on Ike and Marth. He was willing to do anything to get Marth in his hands. However... Demise stared down at Ike, who was protectively standing in front of Marth, preparing to defend himself and his best friend. He needed to take down the loyal guard dog.

Ike's guard dropped when he spotted Link behind Demise, preparing to strike. However, this also gave Demise a chance to attack. Using his sword, he charged some dark magic and swung his sword, causing a beam of darkness to hit Ike. With a pained grunt, Ike was sent flying in the air. The stone-hard wall was what broke his flight.

"Ike!" Marth screamed in shock. Without thinking, he hurried towards his best friend, who was lying on the ground motionlessly. Marth panicky shook the still body. "Are you ok?! Say something!"

Link stopped in his path; he noticed Demise watching the two bluenettes. Strangely, he did not attack them. What was happening? Link nervously stood back and watched. This did not look back.

"Prince Ike, remember who you are." Demise spoke with a wicked smile.

Marth blinked awkwardly. He gasped when he noticed Ike slowly regain his consciousness. "Ike! You're ok!"

"Stay back!" Ike immediately said, shoving Marth away. He tightly clutched his indigo locks as the same, devious voice began to echo into his ears.

_"Prince Ike, the Prince's Spirit!" _he heard the voice hiss. _"He's right there! Just grab him and your dream will finally come true!"_

"What's wrong?" Marth asked, coming dangerously closer to Ike. He set a gentle hand on his shoulder. A suspicion reached his mind. "Wait, it's the voice, right?"

"Yes, it is! Run away!" Ike shouted, as he tried to ignore the voice. Despite his efforts, the voice finally drilled into his consciousness and began to hypnotize him.

Marth began to quickly shake Ike, trying to snap him out of the spell. "Ike, snap out of it! C'mon! Don't you know the difference between who you were and who you ARE?!"

"Get... Prince's Spirit..." Ike mumbled.

Link hurried towards the two and looked at Ike directly in his eyes. "Ike, we are right here! We are your friends, not your enemies!"

"Remember who you really are!" Marth shrieked as he watched Ike's cobalt eyes fade into a lusterless gray.

_"This is quite entertaining." _Demise thought to himself. _"Too bad it has to end..." _Demise rose his sword above Link, preparing to strike him down.

Marth noticed Demise slowly rising his sword. "Link! Look out!" he exclaimed, just as when Ike suddenly grabbed him, threw him over his shoulder, and carried him away towards the altar. Marth dropped his sword in the progress; the best he could do to resist was struggling against Ike's tight grip.

"Farewell, Hero." Demise snarled as Link turned around and gasped in shock. As Demise's sword plunged at him, Link set his thin sword in front of him, preparing to defend himself.

All of a sudden, a beam of gold light struck Demise on the back. With an angry, pained yell, Demise turned around and faced the source of the projectile. Link's azure eyes widened in shock as he gasped. He could not believe who fired the magical projectile at Demise.

_It was Ike!_

"Ike!" Link exclaimed, as Ike carefully set Marth on the floor.

"How?!" Demise roared in fury, denying that his plan failed. "You were hypnotized! I saw it in your eyes!"

Ike scoffed as the lively sparkle returned to his eyes. "Yes, I was hypnotized." he explained with a mischievous, tricky grin. "But, I didn't completely fall for it. Why? My friends' words kept me alive!"

"Grrgh..." Demise growled. "Although I failed to have you under my command," He pointed his sword at Marth. "I will still capture the Prince's Spirit!"

"Marth! Now!" Ike yelled as his piece of the Triforce of Power began to shine.

"Yes!" Marth replied, getting the hint on what to do. His Triforce of Power shone as light began to charge in his hands.

"What is happening?" Demise asked himself in confusion.

Demise was greeted with blinding light shining in his eyes. He yelled in pain, as the light was unbearable for him and he could not see. Unfortunately for the Demon King, who dreaded every tiny flicker of light, it was the last thing he saw.

"Link, now!" Ike shouted.

With a war cry, Link lunged at Demise and stabbed him directly in the back. His steel sword impaled him like a knife in butter; its blade protruded out of his chest. Link breathed in and out loudly as he shakily released his sword and landed on the ground with a soft thud.

Demise dropped his sword, which landed on the ground with a clang and mysteriously shattered into pieces. He fell to his knees and clutched his heart as he felt life slowly drain out of him. With a defeated groan, Demise collapsed onto the floor motionlessly.

"It's... It's over." Ike managed to say, looking at the defeated Demon.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Here's the second-to-last chapter, or chapter 18! One more chapter and this story is finally completed! Hopefully, the battle scene isn't too boring; I'm never good with fighting scenes.<br>**

**I don't really know what do say and ask about this chapter, so give me a review if you want to!**


	19. Chapter 19: Changed Worlds

Just as a wave of relief washed over Ike, a sudden jolt of Warner's and fright struck him. "Where's Ghirahim?!" he asked, cautiously looking around.

Link pointed to the fragments of Demise's shattered sword, which were slowly vanishing into black, worthless dust. "I think he's there..."

"He must be connected to Demise in some way..." Marth commented. "I don't know how... All I know is, he's probably gone for good."

Ike and Link nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, after many days of running, shedding tears, and fighting, they were finally released from their tortuous prison of fate. Finally, they could enjoy life on the Surface with fewer worries. Their wish to stay in the world with a free, clear sky and bright sun was granted.

But, what if Demise returned? What if Medeus was strangely revived and reawakened by a mysterious force, without the need of the Prince's Spirit? That meant that peace on the Surface would remain until Marth and Ike passed away. Their souls were simply reborn, thus beginning the inevitable cycle again.

Ike's eyes widened in confusion and surprise when his piece of the Triforce began to shimmer brightly, along with Marth's pans Link's piece. What was happening? Did it sense incoming danger? Was Demise nor defeated after all? Was he trying to talk to them, vowing to return?

"Link, what's happening?" Ike uneasily asked.

"I don't know." Link answered. "This never happened before!"

Zelda and the rest of Ike's friends suddenly rushed into the temple. "Link! Where is Demise?!"

Link looked at Zelda with a reassuring shine in his eyes. "He's gone." His calm expression slowly fell and turned into a worried look. "Princess Zelda, what's happening? The Triforce, it's shining for a strange reason!"

Zelda looked at the back of her left hand and noticed the Triforce of Wisdom glowing brightly, as if it wanted to tell her something. "I think the Triforce wants to be united." she replied.

As soon as when Zelda said those words, all of the pieces of the Triforce shimmered brighter. Their light was so blinding, Ike, Marth, and Link had to squint their eyes to protect their sight.

"It's getting brighter!" Marth cried out.

Ike noticed the rest of his friends watching the scene play out, not knowing what to do about the situation. "Everyone, look away!" he yelled, just as gold light engulfed him, Marth, Link, and Zelda.

In a quick response, Samus immediately buried her eyes into her hands. Fox and Falco shut their eyes and hurriedly got down on the floor, taking cover. Roy and Elwiood protectively embraced each other and buried their faces into each other's shoulder. pit, who was next to the two redheads, shielded them with his wings and buried his face into his hands. It was either look into the light and never see again, or quickly look away!

In a split second, gold light completely engulfed the room. It shot out of the doorway, taking the impression of a large, powerful beam of light splitting through the dark wasteland. The surviving soldiers looked at the spectacular sight in awe.

After a few moments, the light finally died down. Ike and his friends, who were still remaining in the temple, dazedly looked around, confused. Listening to his friends mumble to each other, Ike took at the back of his left hand and jumped. His Triforce flickered weakly and dimly before vanishing completely.

"My piece! It vanished!" Ike gasped.

"Same here!" Marth replied in shock. "What happened to it."

Link suddenly looked up at the altar. "Look!" he exclaimed, pointing at the altar.

Floating above the altar was the entire Triforce itself. Its three pieces finally united after countless centuries, it shone its majestic, gold light proudly at the stunned mortals and chased away the shadows, which cowered in the corners, unable to fight back.

"I assume that the Triforce sensed Demise's and Medeus's presence here." Zelda spoke. "It must have the power to seal both Demise and Medeus away for good."

"Permanently?" Link questioned in hope.

"I'm not sure." Pit answered. "Maybe, not. The ancient magicians of the angels had quite mysterious powers. I need to ask Lady Palutena about it..."

"All I know is, even if our souls are reincarnated," Ike started. "Demise nor Medeus won't return for a while!"

There was an awkward moment of silence; Ike and his friends let the unbelievable statement hang in their thoughts for a moment. Finally, Marth spoke.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he asked with a wide smile. "Let's return to Castle Town and celebrate!"

With a loud, joyful cheer, the gang began to exit the Dragon's Table, knowing that they successfully won the war against Demise. As he followed Link and Marth, Ike turned around and took one last glance at the Triforce, before stepping out of the structure.

When the surviving soldiers began their trip back to Hyrule, it began to rain violently. Large droplets of cold water plunged from the sky and fell on the weary travelers. Yet, they did not feel upset, angry, or disappointed. They felt free, as the rain represented their liberation.

* * *

><p><em>With Demise gone, Ike and his Hollowian friends were free to stay on the Surface with Link and his family. Once when they finally arrived to Castle Town, a large celebration was held for days, lasting nearly for a week. It was a fantastic party with large, mouthwatering feasts and endless dances.<em>

_What about Bowser? After being interrogated repeatedly by the police, he finally admitted to his wrongdoings. He was stripped of his power; another responsible man with a larger heart took his role in the power company. After a few days, Bowser vanished, never to be seen again. What happened to him? Some say that he and his henchman fled. Others say that he took on another identity so he could start another life anew. However, there was one thing that nearly everyone agreed one; he was definitely up to no good._

_Most of the Hollowians that traveled to the Surface enjoyed their experienced. Wanting to set a permanent life on the Surface, they returned to Hollow to gather their belongings and loved ones. However, not everyone could live in Hyrule Castle Town. The tiny kingdom only had so much space._

_Because they gained fame for being the saviors of the world, Ike, Marth, and the rest of their Hollowian allies decided to found a kingdom neighboring Hyrule, so they could visit Link and his family when they had the chance. Instead of having just one king however, Ike and Marth decided to work side by side together, supported not by each other, but their closest friends._

_Yes, Hollow still had people residing in its underground caves and tunnels. Yet, it did change. It was no longer a world without a sky, but a world with a new beginning__above._

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes: Welp, here's the final chapter!<strong>

**Well, I'm glad that this fanfic is finished, so I can get started on the next one! To be honest, I kinda feel that I rushed on this fanfic. I mean, I could've done better on some parts, right? Hopefully, you guys enjoyed it! And no, I don't think this story needs a sequel, sorry guys! *gets hit in the face with a cream pie* **

**I'm going to upload the first chapter of my next fanfic tomorrow. The fanfic is called "A Basket of Fruits". Just a heads up, contray to the title, it is NOT going to be one of the happiest stories ever. So check it out if you want to!**

**Story Questions:**

**What is your favorite part of the story? Your least favorite part?**

**Would you rather live in the Surface, or Hollow? **


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